Stage 1 - Exit from Sieci
The exit from Sieci along the Arno has changed somewhat, providing a mildly gentler exit from town and an option to visit the Church of San Giovanni. The revised text reads:
Once on the Arno path, watch for a small sign that points left to a passageway up a small bank and between two tall stone walls. You emerge at the Church of San Giovanni a Rèmole. Though the church has 10th c roots, it was radically revised over the centuries, most recently in the 1950’s, when the church’s Baroque elements were removed and a neo-Romanesque appearance was installed. Of note is the late 13th c Madonna and Child, attributed to Corso di Buono. Turn left at the church and cross the Via Arentina to a park/piazza and head past the Galileo primary school, under the tracks, and to the park-line sports fields of the Polisportiva Sieci. The road ends at the Via dello Stocchino and you turn right. Note that some GPS tracks lead you to the left on a long and unnecessary excursion into the hills above Pontassieve. Unless you have extra time and energy for a long (though pretty) climb and descent, turn right toward the railroad tracks and find the gravel road leading much more directly to Pontassieve.
Stage 3 - New exit from Consuma
While a new exit has been arranged for Consuma, it doesn’t make that much sense, in my opinion, and it requires you to skip the views from La Pachina No. 425 Montemignaio. Here’s the revised text:
Continue up the hill from Consuma and see markers that steer you left onto a gravel road into the forest, which you follow to the next trail intersection. For a fun and brief side trip, continue instead up the highway just 150m to a trailhead on your left, across from the Chalet Il Valico bar, and turn left here. In a moment you will come upon Il Pachina No. 425, part of the Big Bench Community Project. The Big Bench Community Project is an art initiative founded by designer Chris Bangle in Italy’s Piedmont region, encouraging communities to install oversized, brightly colored benches in scenic locations. Each bench offers visitors a playful, childlike perspective on the surrounding landscape while promoting local tourism and craftsmanship.
Stage 4 - Path blocked before Lonnano
A path that cut off a switchback on the asphalt road before Lonnano has been closed. Signs already reroute walkers to the road. Here’s the revision:
P. 60: Turn left on Viale 17 Partigiani, “and follow it as it curves along the mountainside, passing the Chiesa di San Biagio Ad Ama. The church dates from the 11th c, with a bell tower from the 16th and is considered one of the best local examples of Romanesque architecture.”
P. 61: “The road descends, ending at the…”
Stage 4 - New exit from Camaldoli
A few years ago the exit from Camaldoli in the direction of Badia Prataglia slightly changed. Here’s the revision:
P. 63 Instead of the sentence, “Look immediately” please substitute, “Continue on the road about 100m until you see a trailhead on the left, which you take steeply uphill.”
