Monte Tambura

A pleasant walk along the Via Vandelli in May

A fine day in May started by driving through PietraSanta and Massa in the rush hour. Massa isn't the easiest town to drive through when following the route inland but it's not a large place, so by the rules of random motion, I eventually found myself on the road to Resceto Resceto is one of the few villages in the area that isn't so much subject to the constant marble traffic that dominates the road further down the valley. The top end of the village possesses a combined bus turning circle and car park. The track leads directly up the valley to the Via Vandelli, which has recently been largely reconstructed and makes an excellent path up the head of the valley.
After climbing for several hundred metres, the path becomes less well made but still straightforward as it approaches the Passo Della Tambura. Monte Sagro dominates the skyline towards the sea; Monte Cavallo rises steeply to the north. Reaching the pass, the view expands to the south and east with Sumbra and the Pania the most obvious peaks. From here, one can look directly down on an active marble quarry, with little toy lorries and miniature heavy plant in action.
The southern ridge of Tambura stretches ahead, with a fairly well marked path leading to the summit. The limestone and marble fully exposed and broken into a jumble of loose boulders. The surface is pierced by numerous small cavities. The summit of Tambura could be best described as a desolate cone of shattered rock. The view can only be described as my camera battery went flat just before the summit. To the north, the pyramid of Monte Pisanino dominates the scene. On this day, the view towards the sea now consisted entirely of thick cloud. On the top, I finished my drink, screwed the cap back on and brought it back. This is what it looked like back at 800 feet a.s.l.: