Séstola and Fanano

sestola and fanano

Buses make the trip east along the Scoltenna gorge from Pievepélago to SÉSTOLA , whose trattorias and hotels make it seem like a teeming metropolis compared with the tiny hamlets around. In reality, the town nucleus is quite tiny, but there are some good places to eat , including the Ristorante Pizzeria Il Campanaccio on Corso Libertà (closed Wed), which serves such mountain food as tagliatelle ai porcini or porcini trifolati and a good selection of wines at very reasonable prices. The Sport at Via delle Ville 116 (tel 0536.62.502; L60,000-90,000/¬30.99-46.48) is a basic but welcoming lodge-like hotel ; the Regina , Via Cimone 23 (tel 0536.62.336; L90,000-120,000/¬46.48-61.98), is an attrative chalet-style establishment.

Perched at 1020m, Séstola gives good views of the countryside around; a cable car takes you even higher so you can look back down over Séstola and its ninth-century castle (August 8.30am-12.30pm & 2-6pm; L3500/¬1.81; during the ski season 8am-5.20pm; included in ski pass). In winter, Séstola is one of the best ski resorts in the area. A four-kilometre hike will take you up to the Pian del Falco (1530m), where there's accommodation at the Rifugio Pian del Falco (tel 0536.61.113 fax 0536.61.232, www.sestolaonline.it/baitadelsole ; L90,000-120,000/¬46.48-61.98). A high path winds around the head of the Rio Vésale to Passo del Lupo (1550m), 4.5km later, and, soon after, the Lago della Ninfa , surrounded by beech and larch trees.

In late spring, when the snow has melted, the wide, cultivated valley below is ideal for some easy cycling, or you could tackle the climb up to Pian Cavallaro high on Monte Cimone's slopes - allow around six hours for the round-trip. A mule track south to Madonna del Trogolino , a seventeenth-century oratory, begins the ascent, after which you skirt Monte Cervarola and veer southwest to climb towards Passo del Lupo at 1550m. For a while you stay relatively level as you follow the Cresta del Gallo watershed, after which a turning to the west brings you into a natural rocky amphitheatre, followed by a steep ascent to Pian Cavallaro (1861m) itself. Your efforts are rewarded by awesome views spanning ridge after ridge, before eventually dropping off to Lombardy and the Veneto. Either retrace your steps to Pian del Falco, or press on down to Séstola, where you can pick up a bus to Modena. Pick up trail maps either at the hotels in Séstola or the rifugio in Pian del Falco.

FANANO , just under 6km from Séstola (reachable by bus every 2-3 hours from Modena via Séstola), is a more attractive village of ancient slate-roofed houses. It's a stop on the old pilgrim's route between Modena and Pistoia, and its origins are probably connected with the Benedictine monastery founded here in 752 by St Anselmo. Every three years - and next due in 2004 - on Good Friday, a torchlight procession threads its way through the medieval streets decorated with greenery. A clutch of tiny oratories includes the Chiesa di San Giuseppe and L'Oratorio del Santi Sacramento , both with magnificent Baroque gilded wooden altars. If you decide to stay, there are half a dozen inexpensive hotels , including the recently renovated La Pace at Via Roma 2-6 (tel 0536.68.865, fax 0536.69.478; L90,000-120,000/¬46.48-61.98) and the central Sole at Via C. Foli 4 (tel 0536.68.070; L90,000-120,000/¬46.48-61.98) a medieval building in the centre of the village.