Stage 11 · Pontassieve → Vallombrosa
- Distance
- 19 km
- Elevation gain
- 970 m D+
- Difficulty
- Easy-Medium
- Surface
- 92% asphalt, 8% gravel · 0% on cycle routes
- Terrain
- Climb to Pratomagno
- Hospitality
- Guesthouse
GPX 1.1 file with the track, elevation and the abbeys as waypoints. Tracks are calculated on real roads and cycle routes (OpenStreetMap): check them on the ground before you set off.
Stage map
Map of the stage Pontassieve → Vallombrosa: track, start, finish, places to stay and abbeys
Hover the profile to see the spot on the map
Tracks calculated on real roads and cycle paths (OpenStreetMap); elevations from SRTM data — to be checked on the ground
Main climb: 10.3 km at 6.8% (up to 967 m)
Other climb: 6.0 km at 4.1% (up to 327 m)
This stage on Komoot
The same track is on the project's Komoot profile: save it in the app and ride it with voice navigation.
Overview
A decisive climb from the Arno valley floor up to the Pratomagno. The route enters Benedictine religious territory through beech woods to the abbey of Vallombrosa, deep in the forest.
Notes from the road
The climb to Vallombrosa bites in the legs from the first hairpins above Pontassieve. The air changes fast among the beeches, cool even in full summer. Tackle the last kilometres in the cooler hours of the day. At the abbey a silence arrives almost suddenly, between the wood and the guesthouse.
What to see
Pontassieve and the Medici bridge, Arno valley, villages of the upper Valdarno, Abbey of Vallombrosa in the woods, centuries-old beech forests of the Pratomagno
Where to sleep
Foresteria Abbazia Vallombrosa; B&B Saltino-Vallombrosa (65-85€); mountain refuges (70-90€)
Where to eat
Mountain cheeses, ricotta, roasted chestnuts, porcini mushrooms, Tuscan cured meats, forest honey
Tips
Short but demanding stage: 970m of climbing. Stock up in Pontassieve. The hairpins up to Vallombrosa are steep: tackle them in the cool hours of the day. After Tosi, on the SP85, a short pitch goes above 15%.
Water & supplies
Fountains in Pontassieve and Pelago; last food shop in Tosi, before the climb. The final 10 km of hairpins through the forest have no services; at 1,000 metres the air is cool even in summer, so pack an extra layer. Fountain at the abbey on arrival.
Places to stay on this stage
- Foresteria dell'Abbazia di Vallombrosaguesthouse
Vallombrosa, Reggello (FI)- Price:
- donation or rate to be agreed with the monks
- Open:
- year-round, booking required (055 862251)
- Facilities:
- simple rooms, monastic dining hall, state forest
- Source:
- monaci.org
Vallombrosan Benedictine hospitality in the monks' old dormitory, stage finish in the Pratomagno.
Abbeys on this stage
- Finish abbey: Abbazia di Vallombrosa
An amateur, non-profit project. The tracks are indicative: everyone rides independently, at their own risk.