Discover Alberi: Egola Valley, local history and cycling route

Alberi can be explored through three specific themes: its local history, the landscape along the Egola River and the Anello Sughera cycling route. If you’re looking for hotels for a trip to Alberi, consider whether you’d rather focus on historical landmarks or rides through the countryside. The points of interest range from a church dating back to 1924 to a cycling route with published distance and surface details.

Local history between the church and the theatre

Alberi’s present-day church is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It was built between February and November 1924 and consecrated on 28 December that same year. The construction period and consecration date mark two separate milestones in the same year.

An older historical reference takes us to Sorripa: Alberi is documented in 1413 in connection with the church of San Giusto in Sorripa. No remains of this building survive today. The settlement was called Sorripa Nuova to distinguish it from the older Sorripa, situated higher up. The name thus preserves a historical distinction between the two places.

The historic theatre is also part of Alberi’s local history. It was housed in buildings on a corner in the centre of the settlement, on the road to Sorripa. The theatre hosted performances until the 1930s, after which it was used as a school until the 1970s. Its uses therefore spanned its time as a performance venue and its later use for education.

The Egola Valley and its landscape

Alberi lies on the banks of the Egola River. The damp valley near Alberi is home to extensive poplar plantations. The river is also connected to an earlier use of the surrounding area: there were several mills nearby, whose waterwheels were powered by the Egola. They ground grain from the surrounding hills. The river can therefore be understood both as part of the landscape and through its former role in powering the mills.

Another natural landmark lies in the surroundings of Alberi: the Pozzo Sfondato area can be reached via the municipality of Montaione’s extensive network of nature trails. The hollow is described as Jurassic and lies on volcanic rock by the Evola River, where the water forms small waterfalls. The Egola and the Evola represent different landscape features: Alberi lies on the Egola, while the Pozzo Sfondato is described as being on the Evola. If you plan to visit the Pozzo Sfondato, check the current condition of the trails beforehand, as conditions on individual paths may change.

Anello Sughera cycling route

The Anello Sughera offers useful figures for planning a bike ride: the route is listed as 15.4 kilometres long, with 265 metres of elevation gain. Its surface is 51% asphalt and 49% gravel. Distance, elevation gain and surface provide different planning details. The route is almost evenly divided between the two surfaces, with a slight majority of asphalt.

The cycling route descends along Via San Cerbone towards Alberi and reaches the Egola Valley. In Alberi, it passes a small church, then the bridge over the Egola River, and continues along Via Casastrada. As trail conditions can change, check them before setting out.

Local history and the cycling route answer different questions when planning a trip: the church, theatre and historical names offer historical and cultural points of reference, while distance, elevation gain and surface percentages describe the route.

Discover more destinations: Sughera, Iano, San Vivaldo, Zona Industriale Comiti.

Back to the main travel overview: Montaione.