Lake Scaffaiolo

Lake Scaffaiolo has special charm and mystery. Its fresh waters stand out like a jewel on the ridge between Tuscany and Emilia: sunsets and views as far as the eye can see can suddenly emerge from the fog that sometimes surrounds this stretch. The Rifugio Duca degli Abruzzi, located next to the lake, can be used as a stopping point for other excursions along the ridges or for the nearby Dardagna Falls. It is a short hike and it is not very challenging both technically and in altitude difference. You can start from Doganaccia or Croce Arcana.

Points of interest

Lake Scaffaiolo (1775 meters)
Unlike other lakes of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines such as Lake Santo, Lake Turchino or Lake Piatto, the Scaffaiolo is not a lake of glacial origin, but it owes its origin to chemical and physical alterations and seems to be fed by rainwater, by Mount Cupolino. The origin of its power, considered mysterious in the past centuries and still discussed, has been the subject of some studies since 1770.

Croce Arcana (1675 meters)
Formerly called Alpe alla Croce, the pass connects the Ospitale Valley (Modena) with the Lima Valley. The road that crosses it, already known in Roman times, was restored and paved in 1633. The beautiful landscapes range from the Lima Valley to the highest peaks of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines. When it is clear, you can see in the distance the Tyrrhenian Sea and the islands of the Tuscan Archipelago, the Apuan Alps, and the Alps. A section of the Romea Strata-Longobarda Nonantolana passes from the Croce Arcana.

Doganaccia
As the name suggests, it was an ancient border customhouse between the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and the Duchy of Modena. The Doganaccia, a hamlet of Abetone Cutigliano with an inhabited nucleus, is both a ski area and a center of outdoor activities. Indeed, there you can find the Adventure Park and the points of departure of various excursions both by bicycle and on foot. For refreshments and meals there are the La Bicocca and the Viandante huts.

Cutigliano
Cutigliano, a medieval village, stands on a spur close to Cuccola Mountain. Built along an important road network, already documented in the Lombard age and which crossed the Arcana Cross Pass to head north, Cutigliano developed after 1368 when it became the center of the Magistracy of the Pistoia Mountains. The village, with narrow cobbled streets lined with ancient buildings and monuments, is a summer holiday resort, which completes its tourist offer with the Doganaccia ski resort on the Apennine ridge.
Worth visiting is the Town Hall square, with the Palazzo Pretorio or “of the Captains of the Mountain”, built at the end of the fourteenth century and enlarged in the following ones.