Casentino area

BIBBIENA (AR) – hill village

Church: Sanctuary of Santa Maria del Sasso
Museums: Museo del Teatro, Scenografia e Costume
Natural reserves: National Park of Foreste Casentinesi,  Falterona mountain, Campigna
Events: International Rally of Casentino, Premio Serravalle
Sport: trekking escursionistico, ciclismo, equitazione, motoraduni, rally

Bibbiena has long been synonymous with theater, set design and costume for the quality of cultural activities developed in these areas. The creation of the Museum of Scenography is an absolute novelty. In Bibbiena is the important monastery-sanctuary of Santa Maria del Sasso.

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CAPOLONA (AR) – Agricultural village

The territory extends over the southern slopes of Mount Pratomagno. It is a quiet village immersed in the green Tuscan country, at the point where the great poet Dante Alighieri described “… where the Arno torches the muzzle to the aretines …”. Signs of the past are present in the ruins of castles, in the For example, the tower of Santa Flora, that of the Casella and of Bibbiano. In recent years, tourism has grown steadily thanks to the presence of numerous farms.

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CASTEL FOCOGNANO (AR) – mountain village

Church: Pieve a Socana
Museums: Centro di documentazione della cultura rurale del Casentino
Products and Crafts: cheese, salami
Sports: trekking, cycling, riding

The municipal territory includes the village of Salutio, originally a castle, today a picturesque mountain village starting point for excursions to the Pratomagno mountain. Visit the Romanesque Pieve a Socana.

 

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CASTEL SAN NICCOLO (AR) – hill village

Castles: Castello di San Niccolò
Museums: Museo del Carbonaio, Museo della Pietra Lavorata
Products and Crafts: Mushrooms, chestnuts, worked stone
Localities: borgo di Cetica
Events: Mostra della Pietra Lavorata
Sports: trekking, cycling, riding

Under the name of Castel San Niccolò, derived from that of the oldest fortification in the area, are currently reunited with several villages. The administrative seat is Casentino Road , while two other urban agglomerations of particular importance are Cetica and Borgo alla Collina. Around these inhabited centers there are many others, even smaller ones, but they have well preserved the original medieval appearance. Sparse here and there are castles, churches and ancient houses. For the rest the territory is extensively wooded with a large presence of kernels. From the town, a number of paths to the Pratomagno mountain begin in a remarkable naturalistic setting. Significant is the Winery Stone Museum.

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CHITIGNANO (AR) – mountain village

Castles: Castello dei Conti Ubertini
Museums: Museo della Polvere da Sparo e del Contrabbando
Products and Crafts: Mineral water, wine, silk, tobacco
Sports: trekking, cycling, riding

Chitignano is a small mountain village located along the road leading to the La Verna sanctuary dedicated to St. Francis. In the past, the town was a center for tobacco smuggling and gunpowder. There are springs of ferruginous hot springs in the area, which are highly appreciated for health. Interesting to visit is the Spray Dust Museum .

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CHIUSI DELLA VERNA (AR) – religious village

Castles: Castello Cattani
Churches: Santuario de La Verna (church, basilica, chapels, corridor of frescoes, Sasso Spicco, St. Francis’s cave-bed)
Products and Crafts: wood objects
Events: Festival internazionale di musica d’organo, Antichi Mestieri
Natural reserves: national Park of Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona, Campigna, Foresta Monumentale de La Verna, Foresta della Lama
Itineraries: La Vallesanta
Sports: trekking, cycling, riding

The municipality of Chiusi della Verna is located in the southernmost part of the Casentino National Park, Monte Falterona and Campigna. The element of absolute appeal is the Shrine of the Verna , where St. Francis resided and received the stigmata. The sanctuary includes numerous chapels, churches, frescoes, caves where the saint stayed for a long time. Religious matrix tourism is a key component of the country’s economy.

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MONTEMIGNAIO (AR) – hill village

Castles: Castello di Montemignaio
Products and Crafts: Extra virgin olive oil, honey, chestnuts
Natural Reserves: Area Naturale del Pratomagno, Passo della Consuma
Sports: trekking , cycling, riding, gathering of motorcycles

The municipal territory extends over a wooded area, between Mount Secchieta and the Consuma valley. The castle and the Pieve di Santa Maria Assunta are testimonies of the medieval past. The excellent natural environment, almost entirely made of beech and chestnut woods, allows pleasant hikes to the Mount Secchieta, from where you can enjoy an excellent panorama of the whole Valdarno, towards the Abbey of Vallombrosa or, in the opposite direction, towards The top of Pratomagno.

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ORTIGNANO RAGGIOLO (AR) – hill village

Churches: Chiesa della Misericordia
Museums: Museo della castagna
Products and Crafts: chestnuts
Sports: trekking, cycling, riding

The municipal territory and the name were originated by the merging of the two inhabited centers of Ortignano and Raggiolo. Many villages have been preserved in the villages, with interesting architectural elements such as arches of carved doors with rather varied subject depictions. Recently, towns have found a new development potential in summer tourism. Many old houses have been renovated, some of which often stand directly on lively rocks.

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POPPI (AR) – borgo medievale

Castles: Castello di Poppi, Torre dei Diavoli
Churches: Abbazia di San Fedele, Convento di Certomondo, Abbazia di Patraglia, Monastero di Camaldoli, Eremo di Camaldoli
Museums: Parco-zoo della fauna europea, Orto botanico Carlo Siemoni
Locality: Badia Prataglia, Camaldoli
Products and Crafts: cheese, honey, meat, salami, chestnuts
Natural Reserves: national Park of Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona, Campigna, riserva Foresta della Lama, riserva biogenetica di Camaldoli
Sports: trekking, cycling, riding

It is a hamlet of medieval origins and is one of the rare “walled cities”, which is almost untouched in its artistic beauties. The historic center deserves a careful visit, for the architecture of the palaces, the quaint quarters with the streets lined with porches and the narrow side lanes. From Porta Fronzola, the entrance point of the town, you can see the Tower of the Devils at the top, the story of Countess Matelda’s story. The town is dominated by the castle, preserved entirely in its original structure. The village is an excellent panoramic point of all northern Casentino: you can admire the ridge of the Pratomagno, the high course of the Arno river and the wide relief of the Apennines, from Mount Falterona to the rocky spire of Verna. The territory also includes the complexes of the monasteries of Badia Prataglia and Camaldoli that extend within the Casentino Forest National Park.

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PRATOVECCHIO STIA (AR) – countryside village

Castles: Castello di Romena, Castello di Porciano
Churchese: Propositura del Santissimo Nome di Gesù, Pieve di Romena
Monuments: Molino di Bucchio (mill)
Museums: Museo archeologico e delle armi di Romena, Museo del castello di Porciano, Museo e galleria d’arte del Palagio Fiorentino, Museo dell’Arte della Lana, Museo dello Sci
Spa: Parco termale dell’acqua di Calcedonia
Products and Crafts: olive oil, wines, cloths, wrought iron
Events: Biennale europea d’Arte Fabbrile
Natural reserves: National Park of Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona, Campigna
Sports: trekking, cycling, riding

Pratovecchio and Stia are two towns that have merged to form one single municipality. Their history has always been combined with the beauty of the lush forests and the majesty of Mount Falterona, and it is no coincidence that there is currently the home of the Casentino Forestry National Park. The monuments present in the territory are diverse and interesting, including the suggestive Romanesque church of Romena and the nearby Castle of the Counts Guidi .

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SUBBIANO (AR) – agricultural village

Castles: Castello di Santa Maria, Castello di Valenzano, Fortezza di Castelnuovo di Subbiano
Products and Crafts: vinsanto, salami, chianina meat, chestnuts, honey, cheese, wrought iron, Ostrich skin
Sports: trekking, cycling, riding

It is located on the left bank of the river Arno and the territory is the gateway to Casentino, an area rich in history and uncontaminated nature where the agricultural and crafts traditions still live.

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TALLA (AR) – hill village

Museums: Museo della Musica
Products and Crafts: wine, olive oil, wheat, chestnuts, footwear
Events: Corsa del Saracino
Sporst: trekking, cycling, riding

The territory extends between verdant hills and is lined with characteristic villages within which you can admire the remains of numerous medieval architecture.

Visit center: Via G. Brocchi, 7 – 52015 Pratovecchio Stia (AR)
Phone: + 39 057550301
Email: infosede@parcoforestecasentinesi.it

It is a large extension of woods between Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, a natural oasis where, for centuries, some religious communities have settled in hermits and monasteries. Mount Falterona, on the Apennine ridge, is the main mountainous group of the park. Along the southern slopes of the mountain at 1,358 meters, a copious source known as Capo d’Arno is considered the origin of the largest Tuscan watercourse.

The nucleus of the park consists of Casentinesian Forests, an ancient forest complex preserved over the centuries. There is also the Sasso Fratino Natural Reserve and the Natural Reserve Petra. In the territory of Emilia-Romagna, near the border with Tuscany, is Acquacheta Waterfall, which includes a 70-meter jump and numerous other jumps. In the park live roe deer, wolves and wild boars. Inside the park there are numerous trails for the summit of Mount Falterona.

It is worth mentioning, inside the park, the Hermitage and the Monastery of Camaldoli and the Sanctuary of La Verna where an important part of the life of St. Francis took place.

Area: Casentino
Municipality: Chiusi della Verna (AR) – locality La Verna
Type: Franciscan sanctuary – complex of churches and chapels (13th-14th century)
Phone:  informations +39 0575 5341; guesthouse+39 0575 0575
Email: santurariolaverna@gmail.com
Hous: 8.00am -10.30pm
Disabled accessibility: yes
Services:  You can stay at the sanctuary guesthouse to rest or pray together with the monks. The accommodations are structured to accommodate single persons, families, groups. Prices with full board: € 57,00 per day; € 48,00 per day with minimum stay of at least three days.

The Franciscan shrine is located on Monte Penna (1,283 meters s.l.m.), whose limestone summit cut off on three sides and covered with fir and beech is visible from afar. It has for centuries been the center of irradiation of the Franciscan message and attraction to the world. Count Orlando Cattani met Francis of Assisi in the spring of 1213 and, fascinated by his words, gave him the mountain. This became the favorite place for numerous and prolonged withdrawal periods of the holy future. Simple huts of frasche were the first refuge of the small community but in 1214 some small cells were built and, shortly afterwards, the oratory of Santa Maria degli Angeli. The decisive impulse to found a large convent was triggered by the stigmata event, which took place right on the mountain, during the last visit by Francesco.

The “poor man of Assisi” came to him in August 1224 for a fast of 40 days, in preparation for the feast of St. Michael. As he was absorbed in prayer, he received the stigmata and, from that moment on, Verna became a sacred place for all Christianity. In 1260 a true church was consecrated and, three years later, the Stimmate Chapel was completed. In 1498, Conductor Bartolomeo d’Alviano, supported by the Medici exiled from Florence, occupied the Sanctuary and his militias completely devastated him and burned him. The structure was restored in a short time and other interventions were carried out in the next three centuries. In 1431, for the papal will, the sanctuary was under the protection of Florence. In 1810 and 1866 the monks were temporarily expelled following the suppression of religious orders. In 1933 the complex was again entrusted to the Friars Minor. The Sanctuary consists of a series of churches, chapels and other places of prayer and devotion, all frequented by a large number of pilgrims, devotees and visitors from all over the world. The numerous buildings are remarkable both for the religious message and for the artworks contained.

Quadrante

It is the large paved square of access to all the sanctuary sites. Surrounded by a stone wall, it has its name on the sundial, the solar clock engraved on the wall of the steeple of the Basilica Maggiore. In the square there is a large cross of wood, planted in the rock, beyond which you can observe a suggestive panorama of the Casentino. On the left is the “well of the forestry”, a 16th century cistern that was used for pilgrims and guests.

Basilica Maggiore 

Dedicated to Our Lady of Assumption, the basilica was built between 1348 and 1509 and has been restored several times in successive times. The result of the various changes is a Latin cross-section, with a nave and cruise lines. Inside there are some excellent performances of the “bottega” Della Robbia. The most ancient work is the Annunciation (circa 1475), considered the masterpiece by Andrea della Robbia. The others are: the Ascension (circa 1490), the Nativity (1479), the Madonna on the Throne with Child > Madonna del Rifugio , 1515-1520). Within the Chapel of the Relics, dating from 1635, some of the objects used by Francis are preserved: a tablecloth, a bowl, a glass, a piece of rope, a linen bandage sunk by the blood of the saint (kept in a bronze bowl ).

Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli

An oratorio dedicated to Santa Maria degli Angeli was built (1216-18) after Francesco had appeared the Madonna. The building, which is the oldest building in the sanctuary, was refurbished and enlarged between 1250 and 1260. The bell tower of the sailboat was fired by Leonardo Pisano in 1257 and, according to tradition, was a gift from St. Bonaventure. The church, preceded by a low porch, is a single nave. Inside, on the main altar, the great embroidered terracotta brick Assumption of Mary to the Sky (also called Madonna della Cintola ), by Andrea Della Robbia 1485. In the same period the two blades Nativity with St. Francis and Saint Anthony and Pietà . Inside the church are preserved various objects belonging to the saint, especially the sail he wore when the stigmata appeared. The wooden chorus is from the Renaissance period.

Corridor of the Stimmate

Through an archway door from the church of S. Maria degli Angeli, you reach the Stimmate Corridor, built between 1578 and 1582. At the beginning there is the chapel of Conte Checco of Montedoglio (or Pietà), completed in 1532 , Which contains the polycarbonate Deposition from the Cross , by Santi Buglioni. The airy corridor is frescoed with episodes of life and miracles of St. Francis. Eighteen of the panels were made by the painter Baccio Maria Bacci in two phases between 1929 and 1962. The first cell built by Francesco d’Assisi is also visible. Along the corridor passes the procession that, from 1431, the friars perform twice a day (at 2 pm and midnight) toward the cell of Saint Francis and then to the Stimmate Chapel.

St. Francis second cell

At the end of the Corridor of the Stimmate there is the cave where Francesco d’Assisi lived; The bed was made of a stone bare sheet. So the second cell, meditation place during the final period of life. It was transformed in 1263. After a small lobby it is directly accessible to the Stimmate Chapel.

Monastery and refectory

The monastery, which can not be visited, is made up of five cloisters. The brothers’ cells are located in the 15th century. In the refectory is the Madonna del Cardellino , another remarkable work by Andrea Della Robbia.

Stimmate Chapel

The chapel, the true focal point of the whole sanctuary, was built by Simonetta da Battifolle in 1263 on the site of the miraculous event: it is a single nave, covered by a vault cruiser. On the floor a plaque indicates the exact spot where Francesco was at the moment of the miracle. Above the door is the round Madonna with Blessed Child , the “shop” by Andrea Della Robbia. On the bottom wall there is the monumental composition Crucifixion , performed in 1481 by Andrea Della Robbia.

Chapels

Around the main buildings or in the immediate vicinity there are other places of prayer and devotion. In particular a series of chapels, each devoted to a different cult: the Nativity, the Annunciation, the Ascension, St. Bonaventure, St. Sebastian, St Peter of Alcantara, the Pietà, St. Anthony of Padua (which Here he stayed for a few months in 1230), Maddalena, the Cross, and the Loddi Chapel. The chapel of Santa Maria Maddalena was built at the end of the 14th century by Countess Caterina Tarlati in memory of the hut of simple frasche which was the first accommodation of Francis. Inside there is the stone on which Christ appeared to the “poor of Assisi”.

Sasso Spicco

It is a huge boulder almost completely detached from the rest of the mountain and suspended above an anthrax. Popular tradition wants the great crack to be formed the very day of the crucifixion of Christ. Even in these deep crevices of the rock, the holy future stayed in prayer and meditation. Here again, Francis found shelter after the devil had tried to make him fall into the surrounding precipice. It is a place where you can enjoy an exceptional panorama.

Area: Casentino
Municpality: Poppi (AR) – locality Camaldoli
Type: religious complex r (12th century)
Website: www.camaldoli.it

The famous spiritual center is immersed in secular Casentino woods who, for many centuries, hermits lived solitary and exploited wood forest. The first building was a hospice for pilgrims, founded in 1046 by Romualdo monk. In this first structure patients were treated free of charge and assistance was provided by a doctor, paid by the monks themselves. The church, dedicated to St. Donato and St. Hilarion was built in the early 13th century and, in 1361, decorated by Spinello Aretino with a series of frescoes.

Annexed to the hospice, become a real guesthouse, it was built the monastery: a large building with two cloisters, the refectory, the guest and the monks’ cells. In the second half of the 15th century in the Monastery Lorenzo the Magnificent stayed with his court men of letters. At the hospital, there was added, in 1543, a real pharmacy or, better, the galenic laboratory for the preparation of medicines based on medicinal herbs. In 1954 the building was completely restored, recovering the original appearance. Among the works of art inside the church are highlighted panel by Giorgio Vasari. In the background of these works, Vasari plays the landscape of the monastery and the hermitage of Camaldoli as they were in the 16th century.

The dining hall is characterized by sober lines of Tuscan mannerism. On the walls there are some planks of the 17th and 18th century. The most interesting are those created by the Florentine painter Giovanni Camillo Sagrestani. On either side of the pulpit there are two works by Lorenzo Lippi. The entire surface of the back wall is occupied by a painting of 1611 by Cristoforo Roncalli, known as Pomarancio.

Ancient hospital remains only the old pharmacy. The room is fully furnished with carved walnut shelves, dating from the time of construction. There are still many tools of the old Cabinet pharmaceutics (stills, mortars, stoves), and books and recipes dating back to the 15th and 16th century. Inside the complex, there is the cell of St. Romuald and the old library which contains about 300,000 volumes.

La  Verna museum

Address: Locality La Verna – Chiusi della Verna (AR)
Times: Sundays and holidays 10am-12am e 2pm-5pm
Tickets: free

The museum is located inside the religious complex of La Verna. The exhibition is divided into seven rooms that collect works of art, but the primary function of the museum is to show the Franciscan life in this place from the artistic and spiritual pointof view. Very impressive is the area where the museum is located.

Archaeological Museum of Casentino “Piero Albertoni”

Address: Palace Niccolini – via Berni, 21 – Bibbiena (AR)
Phone: +39 0575.595486
Email: prenotazioni@arcamuseocasentino.it
Times: from may to september –  Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 12pm and  Friday to Sunday 3.30pm to 6.30; Monday closed

The museum is divided into six rooms and collects material from archaeological excavations. The museum illustrates the history of the valley from prehistoric times to the Middle Ages. Every room is different topics and locations of the Casentino area which have proved of particular archaeological interest.

Address: locality  Stia – Pratovecchio Stia (AR)
Phone: +39
Website: www.museodellartedellalana.it

Lanificio of Stia, dating from the early decades of the 19th century, was the first industrial site of the Casentino and one of the most important woolen mills of Tuscany. The production was in crisis since the Second World War until the final closure in 2000. The product of Stia Wool Mill symbol was the fabric or “Panno Casentino”. The cycle of processing wool, as it was lived, is illustrated through the exhibition of textile machinery from the early twentieth century. The museum displays the traditional craft tools of the pre-industrial process, that set of operations from shearing, through various steps, reaches the spinning of the fabric. Complementary to the exhibition halls are the workshops of the wool museum: the visitor is actively involved and can experience some processes such as manual weaving, or learn to recognize the different textile fibers via a “touch tour”.

The eco-museum network of the Casentino area is wide and well distributed throughout the territory. Collections tell the story, the ancient crafts and traditions of this valley that is lost in time. The work in the fields or within the walls of the house is told by old agricultural tools or household purposes. The production of cereals and chestnuts used different mills with large millstones driven by water power. Outdoors there are the coal cellars where the wood was transformed into fuel. Finally the Chestnut Museum tells how this fruit for centuries was fundamental to the supply of the population.

Craftsmanship, also known as iron forging or, most commonly, wrought iron is a tradition of ancient tradition. In Casentino there are still several blacksmith shops where the iron, when overheated, is molded and takes on elegant shapes. At present, Casentino’s locksmith shops almost exclusively produce furniture items.

Companies

LUKA’S – The Art of Sculpting Iron
Rassina – Ar
Phone: +39  0575.592410
www.lukasferrobattuto.com

At Rassina there is a company with decades of experience in the forging of forged iron and who performs majestically gates, stairs, railings, beds, tables, chairs and many other items to furnish any interior and exterior.

Company

Ceramiche MAGGI MASSIMO
Porrena di Poppi
Phone: 0575.550144

The Casentino Panno, or Casentino Fabric, is a very old product. The origins date back to the 14th century. Unmistakable for its characteristic curls, obtained with the “tattoo”, is a warm wool fabric that is very durable. The appearance is deliberately raw, but in spite of this, it is used by fashion designers for refined and luxurious products. For centuries the Casentino Fabric was offered in orange and green colors, still considered classic, but currently the chromatic variety is much wider and the product is used for a wide range of items.

Companies

T.A.C.S
Stia (AR)
Phone: +39 0575 583659
www.tacs.it

TESSILNOVA
Stia (AR)
Phone: +39 0575 582685
www.tessilnova.com

LA CAMPANA D’ORO brewery

Address: Strada Pescine – locality Pianacci, 23 – 52011 Bibbiena (AR)
Phone: +39 0575 593143 / +39 348 7325577
Website: www.lacampanadoro.com
Email: lacampanadoro@gmail.com
Products: Organic farming beer
Services: typical products tasting, brew-pub, events

The brewery, where you can see the production cellar and watch cookies, is the place where you can buy and enjoy farm beer at “kilometers 0”. Production, completely organic and traced, is carried out by avoiding chemical treatments. After malting, barley is brought back to the farm and crushed into the mill, but only shortly before cooking, to maintain the aromatic properties and taste of good cultivation.

The company’s headquarters are housed in an ancient farmhouse dating back to the early 1800s, at the foot of Camaldolese forests. It has been restored with conservative restoration and restoration by developing finishes with a lime-painting technique, both inside and outside, which transforms the environment into a new Country-Chic revision, mixed with art of recovery.

Inside the Farm, in the old stables, an evocative brew-pub, a welcoming ambience and ample spaces, with live music to enjoy the company’s beers and seasonal beers, was obtained. Accessible only by reservation and for events.
For information and reservations: phone 348-7325577

Molino Grifoni (Grifoni mill
Locality Pagliericcio – Castel San Niccolò

Phone: +39 0575.572873
www.molinogrifoni.com

At the slopes of Pratomagno, in the vicinity of Strada in Casentino there is an ancient mill with stone mills operated by the waters of the Solano stream, the Molino Grifon. From 1696 a family of mugnai, the Grifoni, began to grind wheat and chestnuts. For over three hundred years, then, in Pagliericcio, heavy stone mills are running every day. The mill technology has been amazingly advanced, but there is still no kind of grinding that gives the flour to the corn, corn and chestnut fragrance as well as stone grinding, a grinding that, in addition to flavor, also returns all The food properties of the initial product.The Molino Grifoni is a company producing and selling flours of various kinds. But the mill is also open to sightseeing.