Futa Pass

This was a day of serious house hunting. At one point I advanced up a steep Appenine valley almost being sent from one neighbour to the other as I made enquiries at Bagnatoio, Marcoaino and Castellana. First Cesare, then Mario, then Mario's wife, a neighbour, a chat with the owner of a house on their phone and then coffee with a farming family of the Alto Mugello.

People were very friendly and helpful. At one point Cesare got in the hire car with me and we went to look at a house and then a second. He said the track up to the second was 'un po' bruttina' (a bit ugly). Indeed, it turned out to be very 'ugly' and I had to back the Fiat Punto down over the ruts I had just climbed over. I later went up to the house on foot. It was pretty spectacular but seems to be owned by a company that wanted to turn the house and land into a mineral water-bottling plant - there being many spring in the area - hence the name of the little hamlet of Bagnatoio (the bathy/wet one). Beyond Castellana is the huge bottling plant for the Panna mineral water company.

Later I arrived at the Apennines pass of La Futa at 2963 feet. It was twenty to four. I wanted to have a quick look at the stark war cemetery to the 30,683 German soldiers who lie there.

The view of the cemetery from Google Earth is particularly arresting. The Nazis were particularly brutal in Italy and carried out awful reprisals against the resistance - particularly at Marzobotto - on the Bologna side of the Apennines. But it was moving to see the massed grave stones - each representing four fallen soldiers.

I practically ran around the cemetery as it closed at four and I didn't want to get locked in. A cold wind was blowing and I was the only one there. 

The 'via Bolognese' is also a spectacular road to drive along and there is a big Mille Miglie medal on one of the walls of the roundabout at the top of the Futa Pass.

I drove off down a steep hill to Firenzuola and later down an even steeper road at the Giogo Pass before the long haul back to Florence.

It was a good day.