Culla – Hiking and Local History

Culla combines hiking trails, a landscape shaped by olive terraces and a layered local history. Different themes can guide your travel planning: hiking trail 107 near La Culla, the mountain road to Sant’Anna di Stazzema, and Culla’s church and memorials. This can help you decide whether you want to visit the village mainly for its landscape, its hiking routes or its history.

Hiking Trail 107 and Monte Gabberi

Hiking trail 107 connects La Culla with Foce di San Rocchino and passes over the scenic summit of Monte Gabberi. The current CAI list includes La Culla and Monte Gabberi on this trail. A detailed route description from 2012 names La Culla, Case ai Lecci, Monte Gabberi and San Rocchino as waypoints. It gives elevations of 470, 605, 1,108 and 801 metres for these points.

In this order, the trail first climbs from La Culla via Case ai Lecci to Monte Gabberi; the route described then descends to San Rocchino. At 1,108 metres, the summit is the highest point in this sequence. Check the trail’s current route and condition before setting out on a hike.

Olive Terraces and Views

A route description from 2012 describes Culla as being surrounded by olive groves or terraces. It also mentions views of the Camaiore plain, Lake Massaciuccoli and the coast.

The same route description traces Culla’s first inhabitants to workers in the local iron mines of Monte Arsiccio and Argentera. This brings the village’s early working history into view alongside its visible landscape.

Church, Border History and Remembrance

The church of S. Antonio da Padova e SS. Angeli Custodi stands in Culla. The village’s history also reflects the region’s political conflicts: in the 17th century, Culla was divided between the State of Florence and the Republic of Lucca. A Medici boundary stone marking the border of the Captaincy of Pietrasanta was found near the church. Together, the division and the boundary stone offer a concrete glimpse into the political and territorial circumstances of the time.

Culla is also connected with the remembrance of the Sant’Anna massacre. Volunteers set out from here to give the victims of the massacre of 12 August 1944 a dignified burial. Beside the church stands a bronze memorial created by Alfredo Belluomini in 1981. It depicts a man with a helmet and rifle; the names of the war victims are inscribed on its stone plinth. A bronze sculpture by Romano Cosci depicting Don Giuseppe Vangelisti also stands near the church.

Another memorial stands on the road to Sant’Anna: a wooden cross erected there in 1996 in memory of Don Giuseppe Vangelisti. The church, memorial, sculpture and cross each offer a different focus. Together with the story of the volunteers, they form a distinct point of interest for travellers who want to discover Culla not only as a starting point for hikes, but also through its local history.

The Mountain Road to Sant’Anna

The 10-kilometre mountain road to Sant’Anna di Stazzema climbs from the Versilia plain via Monteggiori and La Culla. It offers a different way to explore the area from hiking trail 107: the road climbs to Sant’Anna, while the trail connects La Culla, Monte Gabberi and Foce di San Rocchino. If you include both in your travel plans, keep these different routes and destinations in mind separately.

Discover more destinations: Palagnana, Levigliani, Retignano, Terrinca, Farnocchia.

Return to the main travel overview: Stazzema.