Among poets and brigands: a bike ride to Lake Scaffaiolo
Cutigliano is a small medieval village, whose roots are far more ancient. Heart of the political power is the Palazzo dei Capitani della Montagna, on whose facade it is possible to admire the heraldic insignia that the various captains left as a reminder of their tenure.
The route can be approached in two ways: the more convenient and easy one, using the cable-car that from Cutigliano leads to the Doganaccia, saving energies and batteries (in the case of electric bikes) and avoiding 800 meters of positive difference in height, or the tougher one, trying our hand at a climb of about 10 kilometers, immersed in the fresh vegetation that changes as the altitude changes.
Once we reach the Doganaccia, we can decide whether to climb from the 2,5-kilometer dirt road to arrive in Croce Arcana, or use the bike path No. 6 that offers the view of the ski area of Doganaccia.
At the Croce Arcana, after the customary photo in front of the Memorial to the victims of World War II, we take the 00 ridge trail that will allow us to reach the lake Giovanni Boccaccio already wrote about: Lake Scaffaiolo. We find ourselves in a land of poets and brigands where smugglers, mostly of salt, used the ridge heights for their illicit trade.
Near the trail that climbs up to Mount Spigolino, the slightly more technical stretch begins, where you need to pay special attention to the stepped section.
Having passed over the Calanca Pass, only 800 meters remain to our destination and the last rough stretch that will gain us the last 50 meters of positive elevation gain. Having admired Lake Scaffaiolo, we can start again on the path we have already traveled, heading back towards the Calanca Pass. At this point, we can descend toward Doganaccia via Trail 66, paying attention to the steepest points and the pedestrians we may encounter. Back at Doganaccia we can decide, as for the outward journey, whether to descend by cable-car or by bike, on the dirt road.
Itinerary by Leonardo Corsini