Hiking Near Pisa: Beyond the Piazza

Most visitors to Pisa see the Piazza dei Miracoli and leave. The mountains are forty to sixty minutes away by car — and one major hiking route is accessible by train from Pisa Centrale, without a car.

The terrain around Pisa reaches in two directions: north towards the Alpi Apuane, and northeast toward the Apennines. Both offer scenery and character that have nothing 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 under thirty minutes. The route follows a neoclassical aqueduct of 400 arches built in the 1820s to bring water from the Pizzorne hills into Lucca, passing through forest, water mills, and a mineral spring known locally as Parole d’Oro. No car required. For more options without a car, the car-free hiking guide for Pisa and Lucca covers train-accessible routes in detail.

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

Between Pisa and Lucca, the Ripafratta Castle route offers a shorter, historically rich walk through the hills that once divided the two rival city-states. For a broader survey of what’s available, the Pisa hiking guide and the day treks from Pisa overview cover the full range of options at different difficulty levels.

Seasons

Spring and autumn are the most reliable seasons. May is excellent for the lower forest routes. The Apuane work well in summer — 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.