Passeggiate intorno a Cutigliano “Anello Cresta dell’Omo”

Distance 9.91 km | Ascent 626 m | Descent -626 m | Highest point 1,034 m

From the beautiful Palazzo dei Capitani in Cutigliano we head towards the church of San Bartolomeo and go down the road leaving behind the centuries-old maple tree of the church of the same name. We cross the “La Buca” farm. The path is unpaved but quite wide, after a few hundred meters we are at the level of the Lima stream. The attention falls on a ruin right next to the river bank. At the time it was a small chapel called Madonna di Pontelungo (see E. Vannucchi’s book “Miracle in Cutigliano”) dedicated to the homonymous miraculous Madonnina. We continue our journey towards a “crusher for gravel and sand”. Staying on the main road and keeping to the left, we find ourselves in front of the historic mill of Podilago, now renovated and converted into a home. On the right we notice an iron pedestrian bridge that leads to Pratale di Lizzano. Instead, we take the road on the left and passing in front of the “mill” we climb a path for about 2 km. Along this stretch of chestnut and downy oaks we can see important rock carvings dating back to the eighteenth century. At the end of this stretch we find ourselves at the junction of the San Vito promenade, we turn right to the small square of the promenade of the same name. Just before the panoramic square where the cross of San Vito stands on the left, we take the steady uphill path called “Cresta dell’Omo” for about 2 km arriving at the panoramic point of Mount Cuccola (about 1000 m above sea level). The spectacle that awaits us on the summit is indescribable and the beauty of the panorama repays the effort overcome in the climb. We continue the path on the small ridge finding on the right between broom and heather a small road that begins its descent for a few hundred meters. We take the CAI 6 path. Following the latter we find ourselves again in front of the Municipality of Cutigliano certainly tired but…. Happy