Hiking Near Pisa: Beyond the Piazza

Pisa gets a couple of hours on most itineraries and then the train out. By road the Apuan trailhead at Corchia is 61 km away and the Apennine ones 75 to 85 km. The Nottolini Aqueduct walk starts a short way from Lucca station, no car required.

The terrain around Pisa reaches in three directions: east onto Monte Pisano, north towards the Alpi Apuane, and northeast toward the Apennines. None of the three has anything to do with the city’s famous skyline.

Routes Accessible by Train

The Nottolini Aqueduct is the most accessible mountain walk in the Pisa area. A regional train from Pisa reaches the starting point in about half an hour. The route follows a neoclassical aqueduct of 460 arches built between 1823 and 1851 to bring spring water from Monte Pisano, at Guamo, into Lucca, passing through forest, water mills, and a mineral spring known locally as Parole d’Oro. No car required. Ripafratta, under Monte Pisano below, is the second station start. For more options without a car, the car-free hiking guide for Pisa and Lucca covers train-accessible routes in detail.

Monte Pisano

The nearest mountain to Pisa is the wooded limestone ridge you see to the east of the city. Monte Pisano runs between the Pisa and Lucca plains, tops out at Monte Serra (917 m), and for centuries marked the border between the two republics. The Ripafratta Castle route climbs it from a station on the Pisa–Lucca line, about 20 minutes from Pisa Centrale: 3.3 km, 130 metres of climb, bay laurel woods most of the way up, and the 12th-century Rocca di San Paolino at the top with both plains in view. It’s the shortest day on this page and the one I suggest first to anyone without a car. The ridge also carries the Passo di Dante crossing from San Giuliano Terme, which I don’t guide; the car-free guide has the route notes.

The Alpi Apuane

North of Pisa, the Apuan Alps rise sharply from the coastal plain. These are marble mountains. Their pale flanks are not snow but raw stone, quarried continuously since Roman times. The Marmifera del Corchia route follows the old marble quarry roads into high terrain above Levigliani, approaching one of the deepest cave systems in Europe. The views over the Versilia coast are exceptional.

Other Terrain

The Apennine routes in the list below, Lago Nero, Lago Scaffaiolo and Monte Gennaio, sit 75 to 85 km from Pisa by road and make full days. If you don’t have a car, tell me when you write and I’ll help you find a solution. For orientation before you choose, the post on the mountains near Pisa sets out the three ranges and how far each is, and the hiking trails near Pisa lists the day walks from the city, ranked by effort.

Seasons

Spring and autumn are the most reliable seasons. May is excellent for the lower forest routes. The Apuane work well in summer, since the altitude and wind keep temperatures manageable. Autumn adds mushroom season in the Apennine forests. Winter is possible on the lower routes; the Apuane carry snow from December through March.