Holiday apartment in Piano di Follo: Pieve, trails and festivals

A holiday apartment in Piano di Follo is an interesting choice if you would like to include history, regional festivals and public green spaces in your travel plans. Piano di Follo developed from the medieval settlement of San Martino. To this day, historical traces blend here with local life, which can be seen at festivals, in public areas and along regional connections.

Historical traces around San Martino

The Pieve di San Martino in Pian di Follo is traditionally dated to the year 960 and attributed to French pilgrims. The perimeter walls, traces of two original naves, a façade with a portal and monolithic architrave, and a massive square bell tower have survived from the first Pieve. The Pieve also contains four large frescoes from the 15th century. Anyone interested in medieval architectural history and religious art will find specific details here that reveal the development of the area.

The Via di San Martino, documented as early as the year 1000, is also one of Piano di Follo's historical features. It connected the area via the Val Durasca with Montalbano. This route shows that Piano di Follo was integrated into regional connections at an early stage.

Festivals, regional cuisine and local impressions

Regional culture is also reflected in events. At the Fiera di Sant'Isidoro, stalls offer typical regional foods. The Grande Fiera di Sant'Isidoro includes exhibitions, tournaments and sports demonstrations. Pian di Follo also hosts a general trade fair with a livestock exhibition and an art exhibition.

Green spaces and trails for different types of holiday

Piano di Follo has municipal green spaces equipped as parks and play areas for children. The facilities also include areas for roller skating and dancing.

The municipality of Follo lies within the Montemarcello–Magra–Vara Regional Nature Park. The Ippovia nel Parco riding trail also crosses the municipal area. The trail is 16 kilometres long, runs from Sarzana (Bradiola) to Calice al Cornoviglio, and passes through Arcola, Santo Stefano di Magra, Vezzano Ligure, Bolano and Follo.

Road connections around Piano di Follo

The provincial road from Piano di Follo to Piana Battolla continues westwards towards Beverino and the Aurelia, and eastwards towards Ceparana and Albiano. Another provincial road leads uphill from Piano di Follo through the Val Durasca and ends above the city of La Spezia at the Aurelia.

The Viale della Rimembranza di Follo is part of the local townscape. The avenue is approximately 200 metres long and includes a carriageway with pedestrian traffic as well as two wide pavements.

For further regional orientation, you can also view Cerreta, Torza, Biassa, Beverino, Ceparana, La Spezia, Castelnuovo Magra and Monterosso Al Mare.

For the higher-level travel overview: La Spezia.