Many people look down on the Apennines
as a poor relation to the Alps, but anyone familiar with these
mountains knows that they have their own capacity to thrill.
To discover this, one only has to walk the ridge path number 00,
which leads from Passo delle Radici to Abetone, and on to Passo
della Croce Arcana, at heights between 1500 and 2000 metres above
sea level. The long line of peaks and rocky heights rising majestically
above the tree-line and the slopes falling away on both sides,
often very steeply, create an almost Alpine landscape very different
from the gentle hills often associated with the Apennines. Anyone
who does not suffer from vertigo will have little difficulty in
walking the whole path, although a little experience and great
caution are needed at Altaretto and Grotta Rosa (walking towards
Lago Baccio) on Monte Giovo, at Denti della Vecchia overlooking
Val di Luce, and at Cima Tauffi, between Libro Aperto and Passo
di Croce Arcana.
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