Autumn in Casentino, Tuscany

To admire the more photogenic colors, savor the most authentic flavors and discover the lesser-known villages and monuments, come with us to

the Casentino, the higher ground and upper valley of the Arno river.

CONSUMA PASS

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STIA

SAN PIETRO A ROMENA

The Casentino covers a valley running roughly between Florence and Siena and belongs to the province of Arezzo. For convenience, our journey starts in Florence, but you can decide to start in Arezzo or in other places in Tuscany and re-arrange the itinerary as you prefer.Arriving from Florence you'll cross the Consuma Pass (1050 m elevation): a perfect spot for a traditional autumn snack: schiacciata flat bread stuffed with mushrooms.

In Stia, often called the "source of the Arno", although the real source is in “Capo d’Arno” admire Porciano Castle, the Church of St. Mary delle Grazie and the Florentine Palagio.North of Stia (at 1380 m on Monte Falterona) there’s the Lago degli Idoli (“Lake of the Idols”), the most important archaeological site in the Casentino area, where many Etruscan ruins have been found (Monte Falterona, in fact, was a sacred mountain to the Etruscans). Visit the museum of the art of wool-making to touch, smell, listen, learn and try some of the hands-on actions involved in the art of wool-making. In the first week of November don’t miss the famous chestnut, wine and new olive oil festival: craft markets, street performances in the magical setting of Piazza Tanucci.

A few kilometres from Pratovecchio, the Romanesque parish church of San Pietro a Romena is a gem well worth seeing, with its amazing architecture and careful stonework. Inside, the asymmetrical windows create a special effect due to the light that shines through them. On the outside, the east-facing apse is of great interest, therefore “kissed” by the morning light.

Because it is strategically placed with trade routes passing through it, Casentino has been a much disputed area in the past; today’s legacy includes some really outstanding castles and fortifications. The largest and most perfect is the 12th-century Poppi Castle or Conti Guidi Castle. Placed on the hilltop of Poppi, it dominates the surrounding countryside with its façade with double-arched windows and a tall tower rising from the centre. It’s considered a prototype of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. Read more

CASTEL SAN NICCOLO’

POPPI

The sacred forests of the Casentino are a place of spiritual refuge, as shown by Camaldoli Monastery, founded over 1,000 years ago by St. Romuald, a Benedictine monk and hermit. There is also an ancient chestnut tree with a split in the middle, where the original monks used to pray and meditate. You can stay at the hermitage for short retreats and reflection. The medieval pharmacy of Camaldoli sells original recipes for natural remedies as well as honey, jam and other products made by the monks.

CAMALDOLI

Castel San Niccolò is a superb example of medieval architecture. It is scattered in numerous ancient hamlets. Of particular interest is the parish of San Martino in Vado, an 11th-century Romanesque church that is perfectly preserved and whose creation is owed to the famous Countess Matilde di Canossa. In Castel San Niccolò stop at one of the Prosciutto del Casentino producers and taste one of the famous local cold cuts made with pigs raised outdoor.

Autumn is a second spring, when every leaf is a flower(Albert Camus)

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BIBBIENABibbiena is the largest town in the Casentino Valley, located on top of a hill at 425 metres and topped by the Torre Tarlati. A noteworthy monument in Bibbiena is the 16th-century Palazzo Dovizi, as well as the 15th-century Church of San Lorenzo, which contains two terracotta works by Andrea della Robbia. You can also visit the Oratory of San Francesco and the Church of Santi Ippolito and Donato, built in the early 12th-century.

A picturesque town, surrounded by fir and chestnut trees, in the heart of the Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona and Campiglia National Park (one of the Park Visitor Centers is in this town). Some of the oldest forests in Europe are here and the autumn colors transform the landscape into a paradise for photographers (and beyond!). The area can be visited on foot, by bike or on horseback, along a network of over 650 kilometres worth of trails. Read more

BADIA PRATAGLIA

LA VERNAAnother detour leads to La Verna, one of the most important and well-known Franciscan sanctuaries in the world and a place of extraordinary magic and charm. It is surrounded by breathtaking scenery, with the building almost rising from the rocks underneath. The sanctuary includes the small church of Santa Maria degli Angeli, the corridor and the Chapel of the Sacre Stimmate (with an Annunciazione by Andrea della Robbia) and the Basilica, dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta. The “Monumental Forest della Verna” has fir and beech trees of over 50 meters in height.Along the road you find Chitigliano with its unexpected Museum of Gunpowder and Smuggling and an itinerary known as the “Polveriera dell’Inferno”, which leads to one of the largest gunpowder hideouts in the atmospheric woodland.

From the main road take the turn for Raggiolo, a little town that was named one of the most beautiful towns in Italy (Borghi più Belli d’Italia).

RAGGIOLO

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Raggiolo, like many mountain towns in the Casentino area, had an economy heavily centred on the chestnut tree. Local chestnuts are still used to make flour for delicious polenta and many other specialties that you can taste on the last weekend of October during the chestnut feast or Festa della castagnatura.

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CONSUMA PASS

STIA

SAN PIETROA ROMENA

CASTEL SANNICCOLÒ

POPPI

BIBBIENA

LA VERNA

RAGGIOLO

CAMALDOLI BADIA PRATAGLIA