L'Ago - Monte Pistone (REL trail 547)

Trail 547 is one of the historic mountain communication routes used since the Middle Ages to connect the inland villages of the Val di Vara with the coastal ridges.

The route starts among the characteristic stone houses of L'Ago, a rural hillside hamlet in the municipality of Borghetto di Vara. The trail climbs through the shaded valley carved by the Rio dell'Ago and enters a typical Apennine forest environment dominated by dense chestnut and hornbeam woods.

The ascent continues steadily, partly following old mule tracks, and gains elevation until it reaches the mountain watershed near the western saddle of Bandita at 618 metres above sea level. From this important junction, the route passes around and over the flank of Monte Pistone, a prominent panoramic summit reaching 720 metres.

Once on the ridge, the trail connects directly with the main hiking routes in the area, allowing hikers to join the renowned Via dei Monti towards Foce del Bardellone or descend on the seaward side towards the villages of Levanto.

• High hiking boots with a lugged sole are strongly recommended: the unpaved forest surface in the chestnut wood accumulates damp leaves and branches that can make the ground slippery.
• As this is an inland mountain trail, the horizontal red-and-white CAI markers may be locally faded or hidden by seasonal vegetation.
• Use a GPS device with offline maps, such as OpenStreetMap, to avoid losing the route at forest junctions.
• There are no certified drinking-water sources along the wooded ascent to the Monte Pistone ridge. Carry a full water supply from the starting point in L'Ago.