Verghetto:the enchanted forest

Verghetto, the enchanted forest



VERGHETTO THE ENCHANTED FOREST

When my grandmother used to tell me stories in that cold far away country where I was born, I thought the forest of fairies existed only in the imagination of men. Instead, anyone led into the woods of Verghetto, can look up and see a wonderful world ,since a long time unexplored that reminds us of childhood. 
The forest here is rich in chestnut trees, with trunks that hide the secrets of fairies and gnomes, ready to give their woody warm embrace to travelers passing by,who are shivering in the wind of winter, and equally ready to give them fresh and blessed shade in the summer, when the heat becomes unbearable. 
Tourists can find all of this in this lovely and wise place that used to be the point of  gathering for"old people" from Massa.

The foliage of these ancient trees darkens the sky and makes us forget about the  business of the marble quarries, not making us notice the activities of those who, just a few steps away, tear away noisily, by various methods, the body of the white mountains. Their fallen leaves lie on a carpet of silence that hides our footsteps, as they once did with the people who went on this trail with cattle or with various goods. The large branches almost horizontal,look like human arms and they invite you to hook a swing and become a carefree children.

Among fairies, gnomes, dreams and memories, there is something that brings us back to reality and it is the fear for safety due to the reckless mountain bikers who occasionally go down to see Colonnata.

At the top of the hill, this place is still enchanting us with emotions, opening to a spectacular view of the sparkling sea, but yet another breathtaking scene lurks around the corner: 
the Apuan Alps show their beauty to our eyes, in places where some old houses of shepherds remind us of the area's pastoral vocation. In this green lawn, we are surrounded by mountains, and by walking towards Colonnata, chestnuts can no longer block the view of what is happening to the mountains that can be seen from the opposite side. 
On this side in fact the landscape is different. We are far from the mountains so dear to the ancient  Apuan Ligurians, so beautiful and yet so fierce in their suffering today. Mountains for centuries affected in their purity, showing their today the deep wounds. In front of us a white and strange tip, of which nobody remembers the original name (if it ever had one), it has the shape of a tooth and with melancholy it reminds us that the marble is now used for making toothpaste. 
A name that belongs to eternity, Michelangelo , and one of his works, "pietà" kept in the heart of the most important church in the world, brings us back to the times when the marble meant more art and less money. The name of this famous statue, it makes me think of the cries of our mountains, giants without a voice.With my mind set to the amazing artwork of "pietà" -mercy-, mother full of suffering, created from the white belly of the Apuan Alps and the genius of a man, I cannot help but reflect on the marble, son with joy and pain of another mother, Nature. 
Turning our gaze elsewhere is important to notice the extraordinary beauty of a mountain in our area, which in the distant past the Apuan Ligurians worshiped to the point of calling it "Sagro " sacred. 

The journey that I propose, in the midst of its wonders, it also aims to present the shadows of the Alps, and to open to tourists aware of and sensitive to environmental issues, a clear horizon of what is happening today to our beloved, pure stone.

The path of a morning, of medium difficulty,it goes to a height of about 300 meters.

Requests appropriate footwear (sturdy hiking boots) and enough water in your backpack (you can also go to the country Colonnata).

Possible combination with the afternoon   visit to the marble quarries  , or the country of Colonnata tasting lard, etc ...

Possibility of dining in the nearby restaurants (the return path).

For those who want to watch from the quarries of Mount Sagro, and has a good strength to walk, you can have lunch bag in the residential area of ​​Verghetto and continue the path. The spectacular panorama fully repays the effort.