Holidays in Valdarno

For your holiday in Tuscany, we recommend a visit to Valdarno, which winds along the river Arno close between the hills of Chianti and Valdambra west and the chain of Pratomagno east. Its territory is crossed by an ancient road, Cassia Vetus today ricalcata largely by provincial Setteponti , Which linked two major centers Etruscans: Arezzo and Fiesole. A land of conquest by the Florentines who built in the twelfth century the "walled lands": Terranuova, Castelfranco di Sopra and San Giovanni, hometown of Masaccio.

These villages were protected by walls and characterized by typical urban checkerboard. The landscape and art, this path: from a Buriano Ponte, the sull'Arno Romanesque bridge, a Castiglion Fibocchi at Loro Ciufenna, pretty medieval village at the foot of Pratomagno, birthplace of the artist contemporary Venturino Venturi whose works are preserved in the museum dedicated to him, the Church of Propina, the former abbey Soffena of up to Pian di Sc? with its Romanesque church.

The landscape that we enjoy in this part of the valley is very diverse, from the hills covered with vineyards and olive groves to a more rugged and scenic, the Balze, with its promontories shaped spire and pinnacles. Leonardo da Vinci scholar and a deep knowledge of these landscapes, immortalized them in some of his works, especially in Gioconda. Laterina, a village situated on a hill to watch the plain below, Montevarchi, a city characterized by elegant Art Nouveau villas and palaces, offers the Paleontological Museum, in a millennial history of the valley.

Cavriglia, on the border with the territory of Chianti former mining center, offers tourists a beautiful natural park where you can picnic and roast in the appropriate sites. A delightful corner of the valley is the Valdambra with the municipalities and Bucine Pergine Valdarno where castles like those of Montebenichi and ribs, abbeys and churches (church of Badia a Galatrona and Rotate) tell the story of this valley.

Areas protected the Interior and Bandella, Le Balze, Ponte Buriano and Penna, the mountain of Pratomagno, observation point and watershed between the two valleys, offering the possibility of an encounter with nature walks on foot or by bicycle the discovery of ancient and new paths. The craft is characterized in the production of glass objects, clothing and leather accessories.

Excellent food and wine that shows the various specialties such as zolfino bean, chicken Valdarno, and vinsanto wine, olive oil, typical product of Pergine Valdarno.