6TH STAGE: Vaiano – Prato (20 km)

The sixth and final leg of the trek along the Wool and Silk Road ends with the arrival in the city of Prato.

For the most part, the route crosses the Calvana area, which is not only a karst massif with its ravines and sinkholes, but is also rich in flora and fauna biodiversity. An ancient place of transhumance and communication between Tuscany and Emilia, frontier land of the Alberti, Guidi and Ubaldini counts.

At the passes and middles of its slopes are towers, customs and fortified structures, scattered houses and small hospitals to accommodate pilgrims, wayfarers and merchants.

Technical description:
The first part of the trail runs uphill from Vaiano to Monte Maggiore (916 m.), the main peak of the Calvana Range.

Going down the valley, along the ancient road system of the Middle Ages, we accompany the flow of the Buti stream to its confluence with the Bisenzio river. Its waters, through the Cavalciotto and the Gorone, were transported and transformed into energy for those factories that from the late 1300s transformed Prato into a rich and industrious textile district.

The Wool and Silk Road ends with the arrival in the historic center of Prato, which welcomes visitors with the wonders of its monuments and its thousand-year history.

Length: 20 km
Uphill elevation gain: 777 m
Downhill elevation gain: 855 m
Highest point: 915 m
Lowest point: 57 m
Type of surface: mixed

Technical tips:
Required to wear technical hiking clothing. Bring a rain/wind jacket, hat and sunglasses, sunscreen and at least 2.5L of water.

Municipality of departure: Vaiano
Starting location: Vaiano
Municipality of arrival: Prato
Arrival location: Prato

Recommended period: April to November

The Via della Lana e della Seta (Wool and Silk Road) is a path that connects two cities that share an important manufacturing history, Bologna and Prato, in a trekking itinerary that allows you to immerse yourself in the natural beauty of theTuscan-Emilian Apennines.

The route goes through hamlets, Apennine valleys and passes, joining two cities of great historical value, which have also grown over the centuries thanks to the wise management of their “waters”: Bologna, the city of the Reno and its many channels, the silk capital for centuries, and Prato, the city of the Cavalciotto, of Gore and Gualchiere, capital of the wool and textile district.

The entire route is 130 km long and is divided into 6 daily stages.