Castiglione, Sillico, Capriaia

Another beautiful day yesterday, although rime covered the ground in the morning.  We decided to do part of a walk we have done before up to the tiny hamlet of Capriaia.  To get there, we drove to the walled town of Castiglione (for provisions and a quick cappuccino...)  then onwards and upwards to the village of Sillico which was our starting point for the walk.

In the event, we didn't complete the walk - we had started rather late, and with shorter days, we didn't want to be benighted.

Tomorrow, we are off over the Appenines to Ferrara for a couple of days with Donella and Dave ...

This tower in Castiglione appears to fire a laser beam, as we are on our way to the cafe

"Our hill" - The Pania - seen from the wall of Castiglione.  From Barga, we see the three peaks end-on for an even greater effect

Looking down the valley towards Barga - only a few miles distant

Barbara just visible getting some sun on the pavement in front of the cafe/alimentari

Wood may be a sustainable fuel, but it does still produce smoke!

The massif of the Apuan Alps, and Barbara, seen beyond one of the bastions

Pennywort seen growing in abundance on a shady wall

Barbara walks along the path, hedged in by tree heather (Erica arborea) - at least we think it is.  We first saw it in the Canaries. 

The best bit - lunch!  Excellent prosciutto and pecorino from the shop in Castiglione, and bread from the Barga bread van ...

Seen from Sillico - the rocky crags of the Pania di Corfino - we tried to climb it once (from the back!) but couldn't find the route .  Perhaps this year...