Stage Pistoia - Pescia

At 29.6 kilometres this is the longest stage of the Cammino di San Jacopo, and also one of the most varied: in a single day you pass from farmed plain to the hills of the Valdinievole, with 300 metres of ascent spread over short pulls that follow one another relentlessly but never become genuinely hard.

Leaving Pistoia, the way puts the walls behind it and heads west among plant nurseries, the other great productive landscape of the district. The first landmark is the pieve di Groppoli, a Romanesque church of early medieval origin, from where the path begins to climb towards the saddle that closes off the plain.

At the top stands Serravalle Pistoiese, the high point of the stage. Its castle, with the Rocca Nuova and the hexagonal tower attributed to Castruccio Castracani, controlled the narrow passage between the mountains and the marsh, that is, the only natural corridor between Pistoia and Lucca. From its walls the whole Valdinievole lies in view.

The descent leads to Montecatini Terme, a spa of European renown whose bath houses, the Tettuccio and the Excelsior, retain their early twentieth-century Liberty air. It is the lowest point of the day and a good place for a long break before the final section.

The last part climbs again to trace the villages that look out over the valley: Buggiano Castello, with its medieval square and citrus gardens; Stignano, tiny and silent; and Uzzano, its church of Santi Jacopo e Martino leaning over the void. From there the way drops to Pescia, capital of the Valdinievole and one of Europe's largest cut-flower markets, crossed by the river of the same name and laid out around the long Piazza Mazzini.

As for services, the stage is well supplied: Serravalle Pistoiese and above all Montecatini Terme, halfway along, offer fountains, bars and shops for restocking. The villages of the final section are far smaller and should not be relied on for supplies. Because of its length, many walkers prefer to split the day with a night in Montecatini and tackle the Valdinievole villages the next morning on fresh legs.