Unspoiled Nature and Stone Villages
Montieri - Gerfalco - Lame - Travale - Montieri

4 - Unspoiled Nature and Stone Villages 23 km

MONTIERI Km 0 - GERFALCO Km 6,3 - LAME Km 9,4 - TRAVALE Km 16 - MONTIERI Km 23
Starting point and arrival: Montieri
Distance in kilometres: 23 km (14 km tarred road + 9 km dirt track)
Difference in altitude: 420 m
Type of road: tarred and dirt track
Bicycle: roadster or all-terrain
Difficulty: average
NOTES: This itinerary is a journey into nature and through the most secluded and authentic towns of Upper Maremma. The most exacting
stretches are the short climb towards Travale and the last 5 kilometres before returning to Montieri. There are refreshment points in Gerfalco
and Travale; water supply in Borgo delle Lame

One starts from Montieri and takes the uphill ramp 200 metres long on the right side of the Town-Hall Palace to reach the road at the rear of the town, where one continues uphill for 600 metres as far as the crossing with the provincial road S.P. 11 “Pavone”. Here one turns left in the direction of Gerfalco: on the right a beautiful landscape showing the woods surrounding Gerfalco and the overhanging hillock with the Wildlife Reserve of the Cornate. After 3.5 kilometres one leaves the S.P. 11 to take the S.P. 71 in the direction of Gerfalco.

The crest road gives onto the coast on the left while at the same time overlooking the Cecina plain and the Siena territories on the right. From here the two rises over 1000 metres of the Metalliferous Hills are visible: the Poggio di Montieri with the aerials and Poggio with the Wildlife Reserve of the Cornate, right above Gerfalco. After about 2 kilometres one reaches Gerfalco (6.3) at 860 metres above sea level. A visit to the old town is recommended.

The itinerary continues to the left following two wooden signposts indicating Cima Le Cornate and Fonte il Canaluzzo. After 500 metres the road turns into a dirt track leading downhill through the luxuriant vegetation. After about 1 kilometre, at a left turning, one should stop to admire the landscape of the Plain of the Cecina, a river whose source is near Gerfalco. The dirt track continues downhill alternating landscape views with wood-covered stretches. Along the way one sees old and typical farmhouses, some of which beautifully renovated. On reaching the valley bottom (8.5) one starts riding uphill and after 200 metres, at a crossroads one keeps to the left (avoiding the right descent) to reach Lame (9.4), an ancient rural village. The road continues uphill and about 200 metres past the village, on the left at road level, there is a source and shortly afterwards one reaches a crossroads (10.2): the way to the left leads to the Fonte del Canaluzzo 600 metres away, while the itinerary proceeds on the right in a descent that a little while later allows a view of the small village of Travale. One cycles by a few farms and the descent comes to an end at the valley bottom next to a bridge over the river Cecina (15.8) where the tarred road starts anew. Here begins the climb of about 1 kilometre to Travale.

A little later at a T-crossing one turns left (the right side leads to the old town of Travale with its castle deserving a visit) to reach the provincial road S.P. 5 which on the right returns to Montieri. Next to the crossing there is a refreshment stand. Montieri is 5.5 kilometres from here and it can be reached cycling continuously uphill, but not too steeply. The ring ends in front of the Town-Hall Palace (23).