On a trip to the Pistoia Mountains, from Marliana to Cutigliano, from Piteglio to Sambuca Pistoiese, from San Marcello to Abetone, including Pescia, Montale and Pistoia, you will discover that these towns are not only home to the best-known ski centres in Tuscany, but also boast many other beautiful sights and unmissable celebrations.

The new Ecomuseum of the Pistoiese Mountains, an innovative centre which co-ordinates all the territory's cultural and natural treasures, has a list of six outdoor trails which allow the visitor to discover a variety of fascinating and unique sights, from the summit of the Alpe Tre Potenze, nearly 6,500 feet high, to the eastern slopes of the Monte La Croce.

On the Ice Trail, for example, we discover the ingenious system used to produce natural ice in the Reno Valley between the 18th and 20th centuries, whereas the Iron Trail reveals how the Pistoia Mountains were the most important centre of iron and steel production in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany in the 16th century. In the parish church of Popiglio in the municipality of Piteglio, the Diocesan Museum of Religious Art has a collection of rare Baroque artefacts, and visitors to the Orsigna valley can explore the renovated Giamba Coal Museum and the old Coal Route.

The stunning Nature Trail gives the visitor the opportunity to collect a few blueberries or porcini mushrooms, which are both plentiful in this region. The Trail also takes in the Woodland Botanical Garden of the Abetone, abundant in Norway Spruce, once known as the Grand Duchy Forests of Boscolungo. Here, with a bit of luck, you might see a kestrel, a buzzard, an eagle or even a wolf.

If you happen to be in San Marcello Pistoiese on 8th September, you have the chance to attend a unique ceremony. Ever since the feast of the town's patron saint, Saint Celestina, has been celebrated on that date, it has been accompanied by the launch of a hot-air balloon, a tradition dating back to 1783, when the Montgolfier brothers, who were staying in the region, encouraged local residents to attempt the feat of flying in a balloon. It is said that if the balloon does not rise beyond the bell-tower, the year will be an unlucky one, whereas a fortunate year is in stow if the balloon is seen soaring over the tower.