Etruscan Trail

Etruscan Trail
walking ... along the ancient iron road

A trek across the Apennines along the path which used to connect the two Etruscan towns of Prato and Marzabotto 2500 years ago, 86 kilometers to walk in 5 days even with the Nordic Walking technique. Setting off from the charming hilly Tuscan countryside towards the silent beech woods in the Apennine, we will be trekking on stretches of the Etruscan-Roman paved road linking Pisa to Spina (Comacchio) to reach Kainua (present Marzabotto), close to Bologna, where we will visit the excavations and admire the treasures kept in the local museum.
Dates:
From 22nd to 26th June 2011 Gianfranco Bracci, Marco Parlanti and Sergio Gardini will be your guides.
25th-26th June Weekend trek : it is possible to join the party at Madonna dei Fornelli (San Benedetto Val di Sambro) and walk the last two stretches of the track up to Marzabotto. Departure time: 8.30 a.m.
Stops and distances:
1)22nd June La Querce (Prato) – San Piero a Sieve: Km23.6 dep. 7.00 a.am m 523 slope
2)23rd June San Piero a Sieve – Passo Futa km 21.1 dep.7.15 a.m. m 904 slope
3)24th Jube Passo Futa. Madonna dei Fornelli km 15 dep. 5.00 a.m. m 460 slope
4)25th June Madonna dei Fornelli – Monte Sole km 18, dep. 5.00 m 400 slope
5)26th June Monte Sole – Marzabotto km 6.5 dep. 3.30 m 100 slope







26th June program:
Kainua festival in Marzabotto (lunch: choice of traditional or Etruscan dishes; in the afternoon: historic parade and combat, etc.)
For further information: http://www.prolocomarzabotto.it/cms/
11.00 arrival time in Marzabotto, guided visit to the Archeological Museum and the excavations with Dr. Paola Desantis, museum curator and the archeologist Claudio Calastri of the University of Bologna.
13.00 lunch at the festival stands (not included)
Afternoon: - round table panel with important archeologists and university professors, with the participation of Professor Giuseppe Centauro, President of the “Via Etrusca del ferro” (Etruscan Iron Trail) Association and the writer Danila Comastri Montanari .
Historic pageant and combat between Celts and Etruscans
Evening: departure, end of our services.
Fares:
295.00€ per person
88.00€ per person, week-end participation (25th – 26th)
10.00 € per person, single day participation, (26th June)
Half board accommodation, guide service, luggage transport, and insurance included. Accommodation in twin, triple, or quad bedrooms. Single bedrooms availability to be checked on arrival, supplement to be paid at check-in .
Drinks are not included.
Difficulty:
Easy walk (T/E). The itinerary might be slightly changed depending on unforeseen occurrences. Trekking times are subject to variations according to weather conditions and walkers’ needs. Daily departure times will be decided by the guides only.
We suggest that the participants reached Prato by train. The departure from Prato-La Querce on 22nd June will be at 9.00 o’clock sharp.
Return journey: it is possible to travel from Marzabotto to Bologna or Pistoia by train, week-end participants can be driven to Madonna dei Fornelli on request (10€ each).
The first 20 bookings will be rewarded with a small backpack and a technical free sweat t-shirt offered by Universo Sport.
Bookings within 10th June, settlement not later than 15th June at the Viaggii Unicoper Turist travel agency.
Contacts:


info:
Gianfranco Bracci: 0039/339/1181536 - gbracci@hotmail.com http://laviadelferro.blogspot.com/

booking:

051.6527743 - info@appenninoslow.it



Tecnic organization: Unicoper Turist - Bologna