Places to visit

Poppi

Poppi

Poppi is located in the center of the Casentino in Tuscany, the first Arno valley between the provinces of Arezzo and Florence, now a National Park, which has remained its artistic and natural beauties thanks to a non-standardized tourist presence. The medieval village of Poppi is a rare "walled city" at the top of which dominates the Castle Conti Guidi, the work of the famous family of architects Di Cambio and "prototype" of the palace "Palazzo Vecchio" in Florence. Thanks to constant restorations over the centuries, the castle of Poppi is currently in excellent conditions. Inside the castle there's the Rilliana Library, full of hundreds of medieval manuscripts and incunabula. Another element of absolute importance is the Cappella dei Conti Guidi with a cycle of fourteenth-century frescoes attributed to Taddeo Gaddi, a pupil of Giotto. Coming down from the castle you will find the Propositura of Santi Marco and Lorenzo (XVIII century) which includes works by Ligozzi and Morandini. In front of this, in the main square, a rare example of "Tuscan baroque" is visible, the Oratory of the Madonna del Morbo (17th century), a hexagonal building with a scaled dome. Continuing through the main village flanked by arcades that allow an indoor visit at any time, you reach the ancient Abbey of San Fedele (11th century), rich in remarkable works of art, including a Giottesque crucifix, paintings by Ligozzi, Portelli, Davanzati, Morandini and Solosmeo. Finally, the Monastery of the Augustinians (16th century), which preserves valuable Della Robbia terracotta. The visit can end with an invigorating walk along the entire medieval walls from which you can admire a panoramic view of the most typical Tuscan countryside.

Pieve di Romena

Pieve di Romena

The ancient Romanesque parish church of Romena is the heart of the fraternity. In a valley steeped in spirituality (in Casentino, Tuscany), between Camaldoli and La Verna, Romena proposes itself as a possible crossroads for many travelers of our time. As for the pilgrims of the Middle Ages, marching towards Rome, the parish represented a resting point where to stop for a night, refresh oneself and leave, so today the Fraternity wants to offer a resting place to travelers from all over the world.

Camaldoli

Camaldoli

Camaldoli is located in the territory of the municipality of Poppi, within the National Park of the Casentinesi Forests, Monte Falterona and Campigna. Not far from the monastery there is a small lake of artificial origin but which has long since become naturalized: the Traversari lake. There is the ancient pharmacy or galenic laboratory, where the monks made spices and medical plants to cure the sick patients of the ancient "hospital". The current pharmacy, with its precious walnut furniture, dates back to 1543. In the baroque style church there are works by Vasari. In the Renaissance it became an important cultural center and after 1520 a printing shop was also launched within it. A few kilometers away there is the Hermitage of Camaldoli, founded shortly after the foundation of the monastery to house monks wishing to completely abandon community life for the cloister in the middle of the forest, where you can admire the cell of San Romualdo. The Camaldolese monks follow the Benedictine rule with the addition of their own principles and norms and are gathered in the Camaldolese Congregation of the order of San Benedetto

BIBBIENA

BIBBIENA

The municipality of Bibbiena is located in the heart of the Casentino, the valley where the first stretch of the Arno river flows, after having crossed the Valdarno. Bibbiena occupies the northern part of the province of Arezzo, at an altitude of 425 m s.l.m. and is about 30 km from the provincial capital. and Florence, the regional capital, is 60 km further west. It borders to the north with Emilia-Romagna (province of Forlì-Cesena, municipality of Bagno di Romagna), to the west with Poppi, to the east with Chiusi della Verna, to the south with Castel Focognano, to the south-west with Ortignano Raggiolo. The origins of Bibbiena date back to the second half of the 11th century, a period in which the Aretine bishops, on the hill where the historic center of the town is today, built a castle that was to be the outpost of the territory of Arezzo on that of the upper Casentino dominated by the Guidi. Bibbiena was reborn in the sixteenth century, that is why it is considered the most Renaissance town in the Casentino. Its architecture is characterized by the presence of elegant buildings from that period, the best known is Palazzo Dovizi. In front of this there is the Church of San Lorenzo where two large glazed terracotta can be admired dating back to around 1515 and attributed to Luca della Robbia the Younger

ORTIGNANO RAGGIOLO

ORTIGNANO RAGGIOLO

Ortignano Raggiolo is an Italian town with 862 inhabitants in the province of Arezzo, born in 1873 from the merger of the two previous municipalities of Ortignano and Raggiolo. The first name is attested for the first time in 1247 and probably derives from a Roman personal named Hortinius, while Raggiolo is attested in 967 as Ragiola and derives from the Latin word meaning "border line". The municipality is squeezed between the Tuscan hills, on which rises the Pratomagno, administratively belonging to the neighboring municipality of Loro Ciuffenna. It is crossed by the Teggina stream, which flows into the Arno on the border with the municipality of Bibbiena, and has only one tributary, the even smaller stream Barbozzaia, which feeds the mill "Mulino di Morino", recently renovated in Raggiolo as a memory of the nineteenth-century mills that gave a huge support to the town. In Raggiolo there is the Chestnut Museum which shows all the phases of collection and transformation of what in the past was a real substitute for bread. The museum includes a mainly didactic part, through the various environments, and a laboratory, where the ingredients discovered previously can be manipulated. The village of Raggiolo since 2015 is listed in the most beautiful villages in Italy. The streets of Raggiolo can be visited on foot. It is mainly a tourist destination, especially popular in summer.

CHIUSI DELLA VERNA

CHIUSI DELLA VERNA

Chiusi della Verna is an Italian town with 1.926 inhabitants in the province of Arezzo in Tuscany. Located in the Casentino area, in the center of the National Park of Casentinesi Forests, Monte Falterona and Campigna, it is the highest town in Tuscany and is famous for hosting the sanctuary of La Verna, home of San Francesco where the saint received the stigmata. The sanctuary is located on the southern part of Mount Penna. A thriving tourism industry has developed around these places. Chiusi della Verna is also famous for the dispute, with the town of Caprese Michelangelo, for being the birthplace of Michelangelo Buonarroti.

BADIA PRATAGLIA

BADIA PRATAGLIA

Badia Prataglia is a fraction of Poppi and a nature reserve inside the National Park of the Casentinesi Forests, Monte Falterona and Campigna. The origin of Badia Prataglia dates back to the year 986 with the foundation of the Abbey of S. Maria and S. Benedetto di Prataglia by Benedictine monks from Montecassino, under the power of the Bishop of Arezzo, Elemperto, in the region the Monte Acuto or Monte Cucco, covered with meadows (hence Pratalia). The abbey is already known in 1002, as can be read in a diploma of Otto III Emperor, thus preceding the foundation of Camaldoli. In a few years the monks increased in number and in September 1008 the new church was consecrated by the bishop, who had also enlarged the monastery, assigning it woods, vineyards and fields along the Archiano, in the parishes of Partina and Bibbiena. From the foundation up to the mid-twelfth century the abbey in Prataglia increased its power and possessions, thanks above all to a series of donations from the Arezzo bishops, and came to have possessions in Partina, Marciano, Salutio, Gello. In 1031 the bishop Teodaldo subjected the church of San Clemente, outside Arezzo, to the Badia di Prataglia; until 1073 Soci was called "hamlet of the monastery of Prataglia". In 1084 another bishop of Arezzo, Costantino, donated Marciano to the abbots of Prataglia.

Arezzo

Arezzo

Arezzo is located in the northern part of the Valdichiana; the two crossing streams Castro and Vingone, flow into the Canale Maestro della Chiana, which traces the bed of the ancient river Clanis. Directly to north of the city begins the Casentino, the valley crossed by the first stretch of the Arno; to the north-west there's the upper Valdarno, always crossed by the Arno in the stretch between Arezzo and Florence. Through the easy Torrino pass, the Cerfone valley and the Scheggia pass, you have access to the north-east of the fourth valley, the Valtiberina, crossed by the first stretch of the Tiber. The territory of the municipality is very wide and varied: it passes from the plain of the Val di Chiana to the hills, south of the city, and mountainous areas, especially to the east. As a consequence of the large extension of the municipal territory, the neighboring municipalities are numerous: to the west and south there are Civitella in Val di Chiana, Monte San Savino, Marciano della Chiana, Castiglion Fiorentino and Cortona; to the north-west there's still Civitella in Val di Chiana, Laterina and Castiglion Fibocchi; to the north-east Capolona and Subbiano; to the east Anghiari, Monterchi and the two Umbrian municipalities: Città di Castello and Monte Santa Maria Tiberina (they was the territories of Arezzo until 1927).

FLORENCE

FLORENCE

Florence, the capital of Tuscany, is a home to many masterpieces of Renaissance art and architecture. One of the most famous places is the Duomo, the cathedral with a tiled dome designed by Brunelleschi and Giotto's bell tower. The Accademia Gallery exhibits Michelangelo's David sculpture, while in the Uffizi Gallery there are Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Leonardo da Vinci's Annunciation.

SIENA

SIENA

Siena, a city in Tuscany, in Central Italy, stands out for its medieval brick buildings. Piazza del Campo, the central square with its characteristic fan shape, is home to the Palazzo Pubblico (the Gothic-style town hall) and the Torre del Mangia, a slender 14th century tower where white battlements you can enjoy a wonderful view. The seventeen historic districts (city districts) extend all around starting from the square.

ANGHIARI

ANGHIARI

Anghiari is a town with 5.483 inhabitants in the province of Arezzo, in Tuscany. It is listed among the most beautiful villages in Italy, has the Orange Flag country and Slow City (which is a city of good living). The fame of Anghiari stems from the fact that it was the scene of the battle fought in the year 1440 between the Florentines and the Milanese, and later painted by Leonardo da Vinci. Anghiari is part of the Tuscan Valtiberina (valley), that is the easternmost part of Tuscany, which takes its name from the Tiber river that runs along its entire length. This area was a meeting-clash point between different civilizations. The castle of Anghiari, mentioned for the first time in a document of 1048, was first subjected to the Lombard coterie of the counts of Galbino and Montedoglio and in 1104 the place was donated by Bernardino di Sidonia, lord of Anghiari, to the Camaldoli with the obligation to found an abbey there: the monastery of San Bartolomeo apostolo. Later, the inhabited center developed around it. From 1104 to 1143 Camaldoli became the absolute owner of the whole area of ​​Anghiari. After the Napoleonic experiences and those of the restoration, Anghiari actively lives the events of the Risorgimento. Some of its inhabitants fought alongside Garibaldi and erected a monument to the famous general, today is located in the main square (although it is not the original one). During the Second World War in the town of Renicci the fascists made a concentration camp for civils from ex-Yugoslavia.

LUCIGNANO

LUCIGNANO

Lucignano is a town with 3.472 inhabitants in the province of Arezzo in Tuscany. It's been recentrly listed into the Association "The most beautiful villages in Italy". The center of Lucignano rises on a hill at 400 m a.s.l., 28 km south-west of Arezzo. The municipal area, in the heart of the Valdichiana, is bounded by the municipalities of Monte San Savino to the north, Marciano della Chiana and Foiano della Chiana to the east, Sinalunga to the south and Rapolano Terme to the west. The municipality of Lucignano can be divided into two distinct areas: the central area is largely hilly, favorable for the production of oil and wine, and wood; the peripheral areas, on the other hand, are flat, with abundant crops of cereals (especially wheat, barley, maize, sunflower) and flowers.

CORTONA

CORTONA

Cortona is an Italian town with 21 404 inhabitants in the province of Arezzo. Ancient lucumonia, part of the Etruscan dodecapolis, is located in the south of the province of Arezzo near the border with the Umbria region.