Rally Il Ciocco e Valle del Serchio

A legend of Italian rallying

The Rally Il Ciocco e Valle del Serchio is one of the most anticipated dates on the national motorsport calendar. Born in the 1970s at the Il Ciocco Estate, above Castelvecchio Pascoli (Barga), it has long served as the opening round of the Italian Absolute Rally Championship (CIAR) Sparco. Every spring, it draws the best Italian and international crews to the roads of the Garfagnana and the Serchio Valley, in the heart of the province of Lucca, Tuscany.

Special stages in the Garfagnana mountains

The route winds over dozens of timed kilometers through a landscape of rare beauty, nestled between the Apuan Alps and the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines. The special stages touch numerous municipalities in the valley, including the classic and demanding Careggine, the spectacular Fabbriche di Vergemoli and Calomini, and the final Power Stage toward San Pellegrino in Alpe. For the municipality of Vagli Sotto, the highlight is the Puglianella special stage, which descends toward the scenic Vagli Dam, one of the most evocative spots of the entire rally.

Start, finish, and service park

The starting ceremony is traditionally held in one of the area's major cities (in recent years, Viareggio and Lucca), while the final finish line is always the historic square of Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, which also hosts the service park. The Il Ciocco Estate remains the logistical hub of the event, featuring the opening spectator stage.

A celebration of sport for the whole valley

Beyond the sporting competition, the Rally Il Ciocco is an event that involves the entire Serchio Valley community: thousands of spectators flock to the hairpin bends to admire the rally cars, while the villages of the Garfagnana come alive with excitement. The race brings together crews from the CIAR Sparco, the Zone Rally Cup, and various one-make trophies, cementing its status as a benchmark for Italian rallying and sports tourism in Tuscany.

The Vagli Sotto area

Located in the Garfagnana, in the province of Lucca, the municipality of Vagli Sotto is famous for its artificial lake and the submerged village of Fabbriche di Careggine. The rally's passage represents a moment of great visibility and celebration for the town and its hamlets, blending pristine nature, mountains, and a passion for motorsports.