Trail no. 38: Passo della Cappelletta - Passo Calzavitello

Mountain equipment is recommended.

The dominant motif of the stage is the imposing Monte Gottero (1639 m), the highest peak in the province of La Spezia, all covered by a vast forest except for the summit dome where the beech gives way to meadows. From the summit the panorama is vast, circular: on a clear day the view sweeps from the Po Valley to Corsica, from the Apuan Alps to the Maritime Alps. Among the woods on the northern slope, at an elevation of about 1,500, is a basin of glacial origin that is home to a beautiful small lake. Other very small lakes and marshes can be found not far away.Immediately to the east of Mount Gottero opens the Foce dei Tre Confini, an ancient pass that is so called because it was once the meeting point between three states: the Kingdom of Sardinia, the Duchy of Parma and the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. Today, three regions meet here: Liguria, Emilia Romagna and Tuscany.Between the Foce dei Tre Confini and the Calzavitello Pass are ancient boundary stones: between Tuscany and Parma on the AV1 route, between Tuscany and Genoa on the AV2 variant.