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Discovering ancient roads and historical routes.

TUSCANYLAND OF TRAILS

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Katia Boccanera


TUSCANY LAND OF TRAILS

3

TUSCANY, LAND OF TRAILS

Only a few territories, either in Italy or abroad, can boast of such a diversified and extended network of paths, historical roads and trails

to be travelled upon on foot as those in Tuscany. A mapping promoted a few years ago by Regione Toscana and Club Alpino Italiano already fostered the identification, on the basis of regional cartography in 1:10000 scale reproduction, of trails measuring approximately 7000 km. But the phenomenon is on a constant rise, considering that new trails are traced nearly every year, ancient paths are rediscovered and improvements are made to the already existing ones. There is also a growing need, expressed by hikers of all ages, for reception and refreshment facilities near the walking routes.

PAGE

3 Tuscany, land of trails

10 Via degli Dei

20 Via del Volto Santo

30 Sentiero Matilde/Cammino di San Pellegrino

38 Via Ghibellina

48 Via Clodia

56 Cammino di Dante

64 Via Lauretana Senese

72 Via Romea Germanica

80 Romea Strata

88 Cammini Francescani

CONTENTS

54

VIA FRANCIGENAAll of this should not be surprising when one considers that

Via Francigena alone crosses Tuscany from north to south, for a total distance equal to approximately 380 km. Beginning in the Middle Ages, this roadway represented the main connec-tion between central European and Mediterranean countries; regarding the Tuscany stretch, for the most part it retraced the ancient layout of Via Cassia. Along its path, it fostered the development of villages, markets, parishes, abbeys, cross-ings and fords – determining the establishment of settlements for the population. No less important was its influence at the level of elaborating popular imagination, testified by a sort of sacralisation of space and by a symbolic setting that was painted and sculpted in many works of art.

Since the Middle Ages, the system providing assistance to pilgrims could have counted on (over the Tuscany region) a network of facilities whose heart was Spedale di Santa Maria della Scala in Siena. It was mentioned in a document dating back to 1090 as having been established by Duomo canons as one of the many locations along Via Francigena offering accommodation to pilgrims and assistance to the poor and the “gettatelli” (children left to community care). These activities are described in a series of frescoes by Pellegrinaio – exem-plary proof of heathcare systems of the times. Substantial alms and bequests provided the Spedale with prominent economic relevance, fostering autonomous organization regulated by a statute at the beginning of the 1300s; moreover its huge ag-ricultural assets, represented by the “grance” scattered over the Siena countryside, were a source of subsidence for the city in times of famine and epidemics. Various hospitals were dis-tributed along the main historical itineraries in the outskirts of town; in addition to the frequent presence of hotels, where pilgrims and wayfarers were able to find shelter for the night.

The Tuscan stretch of Via Francigena can presently be cov-ered on foot, on horseback and by bicycle. The hiking trail is indicated in detail with various sorts of signage (tourism signs, boundary stones, stickers). The horseback trail is already open to visitors, with specific signage. For that which regards the bicycle-tourism itinerary, funds have been allotted for signage

and small interventions for safety measures. The hiking trail in-cludes equipped rest areas, drinking water distribution points and reserved lavatories.

CONNECTING ROADS AND OTHER HISTORICAL WAYS

While Via Francigena represents the principal route of the entire network, an articulated road system connected to the principal route is the subject of a detailed schedule of inter-ventions promoted by bodies in charge of the management and tourism development of Tuscany. Specifically, with the onset of a homogeneous tourism product, the Tuscan stretch of Via Francigena has been entrusted to 39 Comuni (divided into 4 groups) that have undersigned an agreement for the associ-ated exercise of functions regarding accommodation manage-

Towards

San Piero

a Sieve

7

ment and tourism information, promotion and communication of the tourism product, routine maintenance of the hiking trails, monitoring and assessing tourist flows.

More historical roads and trails are distributed over the entire Tuscan territory and, as would be expected, especially along the Apennine sector since this mountain chain has his-torically represented an obstacle for the flow of pilgrims (but even as defence against enemy armies) coming from northern Italy and beyond – namely transalpine Europe. Therefore, for example, proceeding eastwards from the north-weastern tip of the region we come across (in succession) Via degli Abati, Via di Linari and Sentiero di Matilde, which all flow into Via del Volto Santo – in the direction of Lucca. Romea Strada opened the way towards Pistoia, whereas Via degli Dei repre-sented the route par excellence linking Bologna and Florence. Furthermore, the entire Casenti no region was an area of tran-sit with the historical Via Romea Germa nica route, but even with more recent trails such as Cammino di Dante or the devo-tional Walks of Saint Anthony and San Vicinio. La Verna is at the crossroads of Franciscan Walks in the direction of Assisi, while the centre of Tuscany hosts a network of historical roads (such as La Ghi bellina) closely bound to events of Medici do-main over the region. Via Lauretana Senese runs between Siena and Valdichiana and is an important junction between Via Francigena and Romea Germa nica, whereas Via Clodia connects Grosseto to Rome. Connections along the coast are less frequent due to the presence of malaria in the area until the last century; an interesting project for Via dei Caval leggeri is presently being discussed for a bridleway, while a walking trail across the Maremma area is also being planned.

THE GREAT APENNINE EXCURSION

And ultimately it would be worthwhile recalling, along-side these important historical paths, the GEA Trail (Great Apennine Excursion). It is an itinerary measuring 375 km

Foresta

del Teso,

autumn

8

in length, which travels along the entire Tosco-Emiliano and Tosco-Romagnolo Apennine mountain range. GEA intersects most of the above-mentioned trails, hence closing the thick network of routes offered to hikers who wish to visit this mar-vellous region on foot.

HAPPY HIKINGOur choice of trails and historical paths proposed in this

guide demonstrate the will to offer a meaningful overview (al-beit not a comprehensive one) of all the principal trails pres-ent in Tuscany. Also including trails that, although setting off from other regions, have important stretches in this region, paying particular attention to their geographical distribution so as to present a diversified sample of environmental situa-tions: from Apennine rises to inland hills, from valley furrows to coastal lowlands. Moreover, the actual practicability of these trails and historical paths has been taken into account, favouring those with the best conditions of accessibility, sig-nage, reception and refreshment facilities along the way.

Verrucole

Fortress

VVS VIA DEL VOLTO SANTO page 20 SM/CSP SENTIERO MATILDE/CAMMINO DI SAN PELLEGRINO 30 RS ROMEA STRATA 80 VD VIA DEGLI DEI 10 CD CAMMINO DI DANTE 56

THE TRAILS VG VIA GHIBELLINA 38 VRG VIA ROMEA GERMANICA 72 CF CAMMINI FRANCESCANI 88 VLS VIA LAURETANA SENESE 64 VC VIA CLODIA 48

VIA DEGLI DEI

Previous pages: view from the ridge between Madonna dei Fornelli and Futa Pass

Two authentic capitals of history, art and culture such as Bologna and Florence are connected by a trail that travels across the Tosco-Emiliano Apennine mountain range and can boast of distant origins. The charm of Via degli Dei is that it gives hikers the opportunity to discover the extraordinary intricacies of the Apennine range. Its route snakes along paths, dirt roads and only a few random stretches over paved ones. It crosses forests, vast woods and (as it mostly stands at high altitudes) offers many panoramic sights where one can enjoy spectacular views of ridges and extensive valleys. The trail is watched over and gets its name from the ancient gods who have also lent their names to the surroundings: i.e. Monte Adone (Mount Adonis), Monzuno (Mons Zeus, namely the mountain of Zeus), Monte Venere (Mount Venus) and Monte Luario (stemming from Lua, the Roman goddess of expiation).

DEPARTURE Bologna

ARRIVAL Florence

DISTANCE 130 km

DISTANCE IN TUSCANY approx. 60 km

ENTRY INTO TUSCANY Pian del Voglio

HOW TO GET THERE by car, A1 highway, Pian del Voglio exit; by train, stations served

by the “Direttissima” Bologna-Florence line provide access to

different locations where one may join the trail.

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MILITARY ORIGINS OF THE TRAIL

Most certainly Etruscans were the first ones who traced and travelled over (for at least four centuries, between the seventh and fourth centuries B.C.) a road between Fiesole and Felsina. This road linked two of the most important eco-nomic centres of central-northern Italy across the Apennines. However, the only certain historical source recalling the con-struction of a trans-Apen nine road by Roman Consul Gaius Flaminius in 187 B.C. can be ascribed to Titus Livy. In fact, belligerence during those years led Rome into founding what would have been named Flaminia Militare; its main objec-tive was to ensure Rome’s control over populations inhabiting the Po Valley. The road lost its importance over the following centuries and progressively deteriorated, just like other con-sulares (Roman roads), eventually becoming a narrow mule track that was travelled by merchants, pilgrims and wayfar-ers during the Middle Ages in crossing the Apennine moun-tains at Futa Pass – either by foot or on horseback.

Left:

German

military

cemetery

Below:

walking

along the

ridge

1716

Some hikers from Bologna rediscovered the trail at the close of the 1980s; since then, it has gradually become more and more popular amongst Italian and foreign trekkers. The trail appeared in scenes of Pupi Avati’s movie entitled Una gita scolastica (aka “A School Outing”) and has been described in books dedicated to hiking and trekking, such as Il Sentiero degli Dei (aka “The Path of Gods”) by Wu Ming 2.

TOSCO-EMILIANO APENNINE LANDSCAPE

Via degli Dei is an average difficulty trek that can be divided into 20–25 km stages. It becomes challenging only over certain stretches, provided you are properly trained for mountain hikes. It may also be covered by mountain bike; a network of variations in distance and difficulty has recently been created, allowing even the least expert cyclists a chance

WEBOGRAPHYwww.viadeglidei.it www.visittuscany.com/it/territori/mugello www.visittuscany.com/it/itinerari/mugello-il-passo-della-futa www.parcoappennino.it www.montesenariosacroeremo.eu www.fiesoleforyou.it

to complete the entire itinerary. Road signs are mostly ex-cellent, very frequent and with a few indications of duration time during the Tuscan stretch.

The path continues from Bologna to Sasso Marconi and then continues towards Monzuno, after which we shall be heading towards the ridge to Madonna dei Fornelli. Remains of the “basolato” (original stones used for paving) of this an-cient Roman road may be glimpsed at during certain parts of the trail.

The route therefore continues as it crosses the Apennines at Futa Pass; it becomes a charming path for its thick woods, especially made up of beech trees, where many silver fir and Norway spruce trees have been planted in more recent times. This itinerary crosses a setting of great scenic beauty, with spectacular views over Val di Sieve.

Fiesole

PLACES TO DISCOVER

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FUTA PASSThe largest German cemetery in Italy is found in the vicinity of Futa Pass, where 30,000 bodies have been buried in the wake of World War II. Futa Pass stands as witness to the fact that the Gothic Line passed through these valleys with its sad burden of battles, rounding-up operations and dreadful suffering for local populations.

OSTERIA BRUCIATAAncient well-known legends from the upper Mugello area tell the story of this disreputable shelter standing right on the ridge between the Sieve and Santerno valleys, where wayfarers (following a long climb) hoped to have finally reached a place where they could rest. Instead they were kidnapped, robbed and subsequently killed.

MONTESENARIO SANCTUARYIn December 1917, Pope Benedict XV raised the title of this sanctuary (one of the most important ones in the Tuscany region) to minor basilica. Seven Florentine noblemen erected the hermitage around the year 1245; it is an extraordinary place set in peace and silence, where one can experience a moment of intense spirituality.

FIESOLEFrom the peak of its hillside one can enjoy an incomparable view over the Florence flatland. But the appeal of this ancient Etruscan city is certainly not only limited to its view. It has been enriched with medieval buildings and later with aristocratic palaces. Today Fiesole, the final stage of Via degli Dei before gaining entrance to Renaissance Florence, is one of Tuscany’s most interesting cradles of art and culture. It possesses a rich legacy that has been inherited from its illustrious past, including museums, monuments, the Roman theatre and its acropolis.

Osteria Bruciata Pass

Left: maple tree on the ridge

Montesenario Sanctuary

VIA DEL VOLTOSANTO

Via del Volto Santo, once known as “Francigena di montagna” (the mountain Francigena trail), makes its way through the Lunigiana and Garfagnana regions – along ancient mule tracks across the Apuan Alps and Apennines. This itinerary is one of the principal trans-Apennine connecting roads; from the Middle Ages it was also a popular devotional pilgrimage, bound to the worship of the Volto Santo (Holy Face crucifix) preserved in the city of Lucca. It is a fascinating trail both from the panoramic standpoint (for its superb views over the ridges of the Apuan mountains, which compensate for the exhausting climb) and from the historical-cultural one (as it offers hikers the chance to admire many castles typical of Malaspina domain, its humpback bridges, parishes, fortresses and the remains of ancient hospitals). All the while crossing a little-known Tuscany, one that is less of a tourist attraction yet one entirely to be discovered.

DEPARTURE Pontremoli

ARRIVAL Lucca

DISTANCE IN TUSCANY 146 km

HOW TO GET THERE by car, A15 Cisa highway, Pontremoli exit;

by train, Pontremoli railway station.

Previous pages: Lucca

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THE LEGEND OF VOLTO SANTO

The destination of this trail is a miraculous wooden crucifix bearing an “acheropita” image (term of Greek-Byzantine origin meaning works not created by human hands, but which appar-ently “appeared” by divine intervention). The actual crucifix, which is most probably a replica of the original and perhaps created between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries, can be visited inside the San Martino Cathedral in Lucca as it is pre-served in the chapel originally built by Matteo Civitali in 1484. The artwork provided the city with widespread popularity since it became a near-mandatory place to visit by the many pilgrims who travelled from northern Italy and Europe to Rome (or other places of worship on the peninsula) during the Middle Ages. The Volto Santo way was maintained until the early-fourteenth cen-tury, while buildings offering support to wayfarers and pilgrims were constructed over the course of time in the vicinity or inside inhabited towns. At a later date, use of the road greatly dimin-ished because of the many plague epidemics. The trail is ap-proximately 20 km. longer than Via Francigena, which passes through the Versilia region. But the choice of reaching Lucca for a more articulated internal route and one with great differences in height was dictated by the fact that by crossing the moun-tains between Lunigiana and Garfagnana (while being more ex-hausting) promised greater safety compared to the roads along the coast, which were in the throes of pirate looting and the unhealthy environment of its swampy areas.

FROM LUNIGIANA TO GARFAGNANA ON FOOT

Lunigiana, a very important crossroad between Europe and central Italy that was once defended by the considerable number of 120 castles, has always possessed a strong identity

yet one simultaneously open to different cultural influences that have marked it. Its monuments and traditions preserve the legacies of populations that have travelled through the Magra valley, its principal direction. While the first rem-nants of settlements date back to two-thousand years B.C., Lunigiana owes its name to the Romans who founded Luni during the second century B.C. Ships loaded with marble quarried from the Apuan Alps once set sail from this port.

The Volto Santo trail initially travels through the Deglio valley, then on to Monti di Licciana Nardi and Pontebosio as it passes in front of the Malaspina castle bearing the same name.

Holy Face

Crucifix

PLACES TO DISCOVER

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WEBOGRAPHYwww.viadelvoltosanto.it www.visittuscany.com/it/itinerari/la-via-del-volto-santo www.terredilunigiana.com www.visittuscany.com/en/ideas/a-day-trip-to-luccawww.luccaturismo.it

Therefore the route continues towards Fivizzano, climbs up to the Tea Pass at an altitude of over 1000 metres, where remains of the San Nicolao hospital are visible (located on the Apennine divide between the Serchio Valley and the Upper Aulella Valley).

Subsequent to entering the Garfagnana area, the trail pro-ceeds towards a village called San Michele with its characteris-tic humpback bridge and Le Verrucole fortress; ultimately on to-wards Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, the most important built-up area of the Middle Serchio Valley. This is where the trail con-nects with the route coming from San Pellegrino in Alpe.

PONTREMOLIThe Museo delle statue stele lunigianesi (collection of the effigies of many warriors, women and children) has its premises in the castle built between the ninth and tenth centuries in the village called Piagnaro, which is the most ancient one in Pontremoli. These effigies date back to the local civilizations prior to the arrival of Romans: the most recent effigies, dating back to the sixth century B.C., demonstrate distinct Etruscan and Celtic influence.

VILLAFRANCA IN LUNIGIANA Premises of the Ethnographic Museum

of the Lunigiana, where the most recent history of these sites is told, namely that regarding forestry-shepherding activities that have become extinct due to rural flight.

FIVIZZANOA passion for books is intrinsic to the identity of Lunigiana. In fact, one of the first print houses in Italy was established in Fivizzano in 1471 thanks to Jacopo da Fivizzano who had studied the art of printing in Venice. Jacopo’s interest for books soon became widespread in the area, especially in Pontremoli and Montereggio where travelling pedlars Fivizzano,

Castello

dell’Aquila

Borgo a Mozzano, Ponte della Maddalena or del Diavolo (also known as the Devil’s Bridge)

29

would propose popular books, almanacs and lunar calendars. From the mid-1900s, the Lunigiana tradition for writing was celebrated with the Premio Bancarella, an award granted every year during the month of July in Pontremoli by a jury solely made up of book vendors.

CASTELNUOVO DI GARFAGNANAWe can catch a spectacular view of the Tosco-Emiliano Apennine slopes and the Panie mountain range in the Apuan Alps from atop the sixteenth-century Mont’Alfonso Fortress, which is one of the most impressive monuments of the Serchio Valley. The Fortress covers an area of approximately 60,000 square metres, with impressive surrounding walls that measure 1150 metres in length, in addition to seven bulwarks and two gates. The House of Este coat-of-arms still dominates the main entrance.

CASTELVECCHIO PASCOLIBy following the course of the Serchio river, we may visit the places where Pascoli’s Canti di Castelvecchio were written: in fact, the poet spent the last years of his life in this small town, where he managed to purchase

a house by selling some gold medals he had been awarded during a poetry competition. The rustic dwelling, set in a gentle rural landscape, is today the premises of a museum that collects memoires and memorabilia belonging to the poet.

LUCCARightly defined a city that is truly “people-friendly” for its dimensions, its urban fabric that has remained unaltered over the course of centuries, its extraordinary historical-artistic heritage and its vocation (that has been accentuated over the course of time) for hosting a growing number of cultural events and activities. The religious heart of Lucca, enclosed within its walls and a perfect example of late-Renaissance fortification, is the building complex dedicated to St. John and St. Reparata with its ancient cathedral and baptistery, its Piazza del Duomo with the church dedicated to St. Martin. Piazza San Michele opens up to our view just a short distance away, where the splendid San Michele in Foro Church stands (built in the Pisano-Lucchese style) and that owes its original characteristics to the contraposition of Romanesque and Gothic elements.

Mont’Alfonso Fortress in Castelnuovo, water pulley of a well

SENTIERO MATILDE/CAMMINO DI SAN PELLEGRINO

The two trails are ideally part of one sole route, divided into two stretches by the Apennine ridge leading up to the city of Lucca. Under the aegis of the Great Countess of Canossa, Sentiero Matilde goes from the ancient capital of the duchy (Reggio Emilia) to San Pellegrino in Alpe (an actual natural balcony facing onto the Garfagnana district). This region is harsh and wild; in the words of Ludovico Ariosto “the land of wolves and bandits”. It was the eternal reason of contention between the lords of Lucca, Florence and Urbino. Walking through the lands of Canossa and Garfagnana means travelling backwards in time, through the centuries: castles, towers and fortified villages bring to the minds of modern travellers a period of strong political and religious passion. Over the course of time, man’s struggle against such luxuriant yet apparently inhospitable nature has gradually mellowed the landscape, snatching gradually larger portions of cultivable land from the mountain. Cammino di San Pellegrino travels across the Garfagnana region from north to south, with most of the trail following the Serchio river valley.

Sentiero MatildeDEPARTURE Reggio EmiliaARRIVAL San Pellegrino in AlpeDISTANCE 115 kmDISTANCE IN TUSCANY approx. 5 kmENTRY INTO TUSCANY in the vicinity of San Pellegrino in AlpeHOW TO GET THERE by car, A1 Highway, Reggio Emilia exit; by train, high-speed railway line, Mediopadana train station

Cammino di San Pellegrino DEPARTURE San Pellegrino in AlpeARRIVAL LuccaDISTANCE IN TUSCANY 71 kmHOW TO GET THERE by car, SS324 Passo delle Radici freeway; by train, from Lucca, Castelnuovo di Garfagnana train station

3534

IN THE REALM OF CHESTNUTS

Sentiero Matilde was established in 1998 by will of a group of local hikers who, following some detailed work in rebuilding the historical road system, sketched a trail capa-ble of linking important landmarks of the past with places of great environmental worth. It can be easily recognized thanks to the horizontal red-white-red Cai (Italian Alpine Club) signage; metal arrows with the initials “SM” can also be seen along the entire route.

The Tuscan stretch of the trail is dominated by vast woods: especially chestnut groves, whose fruit has been a staple in-gredient of the local cuisine for centuries. Some important operations aimed at protecting the territory have been con-ducted over the past few years, especially thanks to the insti-tution of the Alpi Apuane e dell’Orecchiella Park that has fos-tered preservation of the abundant flora in this region – one of the most precious legacies of the Garfagnana area.

GENTLE LUCCA HILLSIDE

After having brushed up against the many castles that stand as silent witnesses of this very vast feud stretching out between the Lombardia and Tuscany regions, the Sentiero Matilde trail reaches San Pellegrino in Alpe. From here we can ideally continue on the Cammino di San Pellegrino trail and begin our descent to-wards the Lucca plain. Beginning in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, the trail merges with the Volto Santo one from Pontremoli and the landscape becomes milder as the gentle panorama of the Lucca hillside meets our eyes. The opulence of this environment and its historical-artistic background come in succession along the entire lower Serchio valley, where we come upon signifi-cant locations such as the fortified village in Cascio, Gallicano, the beauty of Barga and the Ghivizzano castle. The vicinity to Lucca can already be detected while in Borgo a Mozzano thanks to the harmonious composition of farmed lands, gardens, beau-tiful farming and residential dwellings, its architecture of excel-lence represented by villas used as holiday estates of the Lucca merchant class. The Serchio river basin opens up after Ponte a Moriano, which is a green area measuring approximately 250 hectares. Here we may embark upon excursions by foot or bike, go for long strolls, head down the river by kayak or canoe, or ride horseback amidst the beautiful nature inside the park – which accompanies travellers all the way to the gates of Lucca.

WEBOGRAPHYwww.sentieromatilde.it www.retecamminifrancigeni.eu www.visittuscany.com/it/territori/garfagnana www.visittuscany.com/it/idee/castelli-in-garfagnana www.garfagnana.it www.parcoappennino.it

Barga

Cathedral

Pages

30-31:

Barga with

the Apuan

Alps in the

background

PLACES TO DISCOVER

37

SAN PELLEGRINO IN ALPEThis small village, which stands at an altitude of 1525 metres, hosts a very ancient hospice that used to accommodate pilgrims arriving from Passo delle Radici. It was apparently built during the eleventh century and conducted its activities at least until the seventeenth century. Today it is the premises of an ethnographic museum that narrates (through more than three-thousand objects and documents) the work of farmers, describes the rooms inside rural homes, the domestic and artisan activities of those inhabiting Apennine valleys.

BARGAA village with its structure dating back to the Middle Ages and characterized by a thick web of alleys, small squares and clearings. The heart of the residential area is articulated around Piazza del Duomo, from which we may enjoy an extensive view of the Apuan mountains and the adjacent Piazza del Comune with its beautiful sixteenth-century buildings. The village specialized in the production of felt hats during the course of the 1800s. Skilful artisans still conduct their activities according to tradition on ancient looms in Barga, Aulla and Castelnuovo di Garfagnana – creating distinctive woollen blankets boasting complicated geometric and floral patterns.

VALLE DI GALLICANOGrotta del Vento, one of the most interesting karst caves in Europe, can be found at the far end of the Turrite di Gallicano valley. Here we can admire the wonders of the underground world, from stalagmites to stalactites and polychrome flows, from alabaster draping to small lakes encrusted with crystals, from streams to bizarre forms of erosion. While hiking through the valley we come upon the spectacular Calomini hermitage, which has been overhanging a sheer edge of the mountain for nearly one-thousand years.

BORGO A MOZZANOThis quaint hamlet is mostly renowned for its Ponte della Maddalena bridge – better known as Ponte del Diavolo (The Devil’s Bridge). According to popular belief, its builder made a pact with the Devil to finish off this medieval engineering masterpiece by the deadline: the Devil promised to complete the job in one night alone, but in exchange he demanded the soul of the first one to ever cross the bridge. Overtaken by regret, the man confessed himself with a priest who came up with a shrewd solution: having a dog (or a pig, in another version) cross the bridge first. The animal paid the consequences and the Devil disappeared into the river.

Castelnuovo Garfagnana

VIA GHIBELLINA

The Casentino district, a green oasis in the Tosco-Romagnolo Apennines, is one of the most beautiful lands in Tuscany. Its features make it seem like an amphitheatre enclosed between mountain ridges and crossed by the Arno River. The Pratomagno relief gets its name from rises covered with meadows: the landscape gets harsher and more rugged towards Valdarno, whereas the setting is gentler towards Casentino. Hence Via Ghibellina makes its way through a wide variety of landscapes, going from the vineyards and olive groves of its hillside, to the beech woods and pastures at medium altitudes, according to the pattern designed by eighteenth-century fragmentation of large plots of land into small farms. Signs of a past particularly full of historical and artistic evidence are scattered over the entire territory, from castles to Romanesque parishes, all the way to different forms of artistic craftsmanship that can boast of long traditions, beginning with its famous Della Robbia artworks in terracotta.

DEPARTURE Florence

ARRIVAL La Verna


HOW TO GET THERE by car, A1 highway, north or south Florence exit;

by train, Florence railway station

Previous pages: Vallombrosa forest

4342

AMIDST WAR AND RELIGION

In a land already marked by ancient roads of Roman origin, an important contribution towards its road systems was cer-tainly provided by Counts Guidi di Poppi. This was an important family that extended its feudal domain for approximately five centuries over the Romagna region, the Casentino district, part of Florence and Pistoia lands. The road named Via dei Guidi di Poppi was called La Ghibellina and the aristocratic family itself was in charge of its upkeep. In fact, entrusting the task of war-ranting community amenities and viability of road systems to the feudal lords who controlled the said lands was customary during those times. And it was Via Ghibellina itself, according to fourteenth-century historian Giovanni Villani, that allowed the Guidi family to provide timely military help to Florence – their allied city. Once strictly military needs diminished, the area gradually affirmed itself as a place of worship: in addition to Vallombrosa abbey (a place of great spiritual relevance), it would be worthwhile recalling the sanctuary dedicated to Santa Maria del Sasso in Bibbiena (constructed by will of Lorenzo de’

Medici), the sanctuary of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Stia, the San Giovanni Evangelista and Santa Maria della Neve monas-teries in Pratovecchio. The route ultimately comes to an end at La Verna sanctuary, which was founded by St. Francis in 1213: it is a place of wondrous beauty and one of the most important sites of Franciscanism as this is the place where the Saint ob-tained the stigmata.

UP AND DOWN THE HILLSIDE

Just about the entire itinerary between Florence and Poppi makes its way along dirt roads or, when paved, roads with very limited traffic. Some of the cobbled stretches speak of ancient origins, although their precise date is uncertain. Shortly after leaving Florence, we come upon the Antico Spedale del Bigallo where wayfarers used to be accommodated during the Middle Ages and presently providing accommodation to those travel-ling on foot. Even Rignano once used to host a “spedale”, but it ceased its activities after the eighteenth century. Once over-

Poppi,

Counts

Guidi castle

Countryside

surrounding

Bibbiena

45

WEBOGRAPHYwww.francigenaintoscana.org/wp/le-vie-storiche-2/le-vie-storiche/06-via-ghibellina/ www.visittuscany.com/it/territori/casentino/www.visittuscany.com/it/itinerari/itinerario-tra-pievi-e-castelli-nei-borghi-medievali-del-casentino/ www.visittuscany.com/it/attrazioni/la-foresta-di-vallombrosa www.casentino.it www.arezzoturismo.it

coming the San Pietro parish, on the Via Aretina Vetus and following a steep 6 km climb that brings us to an altitude of nearly 1000 metres, we reach one of the most visited places in all of Tuscany: Vallombrosa abbey, which was founded in 1036 by a Benedictine monk named Saint Giovanni Gualberto.

Walking across the marvellous Vallombrosa forest is a very emotional experience. It has been Riserva Naturale Biogenetica (Biogenetic Natural Reserve) since 1977 with its extensive vege-tation stretching out for approximately 1300 hectares. It stands at an altitude between 500 to 1450 metres, partially made up of artificial woods with fir trees of ancient constitution and par-tially made up of natural chestnut woods (at lower altitudes), as well as beech, tilia, maple, alder and hornbeam trees at a higher altitude. Once overcoming Croce Vecchia we can descend along the Scheggia stream towards Pieve Molino and then, further on, cross the banks of the Pistiano stream on an extremely beautiful medieval bridge. From Pagliericcio the trail climbs up towards Castel San Niccolò and subsequently reaches Strumi. We may choose another trail during milder seasons, which passes through Pieve di San Martino in Vado whose name already hints at the need for wading (vado) across the Solano stream. Poppi stands just a short distance away, in a dominating position from atop its hill, then on towards Bibbiena on the left bank of the Arno River, and subsequently towards the Santa Maria del Sasso sanctuary. We ultimately reach Campi, immediately heading into a 6 km climb towards La Verna sanctuary.

Florence, Dome of the Cathedral and Giotto’s Bell Tower

PLACES TO DISCOVER

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FLORENCE “Florentia”, the flourishing: this is the intuitive name given by Romans during the first century B.C. The city, that became a municipality during the twelfth century, experienced since them a flourishing without compare in culture, art and international trade. This reached its peak during the 1400s under Cosimo and Lorenzo de’ Medici, who were great politicians but also extraordinary art patrons and men of culture. The Grand Duchy of Tuscany inherited a Renaissance season without compare, surviving until Italian Unification, of which Florence was capital from 1865 until 1871. Today it is one of the most extraordinary tourism destinations in the world, an actual open-air museum and unique proof of the summits of thought, culture and art that were reached over the course of the Renaissance.

PRATOVECCHIOThe town is historically bound to the name of Paolo Uccello, the great painter who was born there in 1397; its built-up area is dominated by the impressive ruins of Castello di Romena, located about 2 km south-west of the historic city centre. The massive structure, which was erected around the year 1000, became one of the main fortified residences of Counts Guidi from the twelfth century. Today only three of its original fourteen towers remain, in addition to its quarterdeck. The extremely beautiful San Pietro di Romena parish rises

up just a short distance away, isolated in the middle of the countryside, and it is one of the most interesting Romanesque buildings in the Casentino area.

POPPIShould we wish to fully understand the historical significance of lordly power, we cannot neglect a visit to the castle belonging to Counts Guidi as it is one of the most classical and best preserved examples of Tuscan thirteenth-century architecture. Its courtyard, walkways and stairways are remarkable. The chapel is decorated with frescoes attributed to Taddeo Gaddi and one of the parlours hosts a terracotta artwork from the Della Robbia school. Another interesting

site to see in town is Badia di San Fedele and, just outside of the built-up area, the Santa Maria Assunta parish that was founded by Benedictine monks during the tenth century.

BIBBIENAFor centuries the town has been synonymous of theatre, set-design and costumes – both for its illustrious citizens (art patron Cardinal Dovizi and Galli architects) who each gave an essential contribution to the Italian theatre culture in their own way. The Dovizi Theatre, in the neoclassic style and camouflaged between aristocratic palaces, was built in 1842 by will of the Accademia degli Operosi. It still proposes high-profile seasons of theatre performances. The Bibbiena Municipality has also promoted the establishment of its Set-Design Museum.

CHITIGNANODuring modern times, the cultivation and free trade of tobacco, the production and illegal trade of gunpowder and silkworm breeding were the main resources of the Chitignano community. These activities were flanked by a good production of wine, by harvesting

products in the woods and by the exploitation of an acidulous mineral water well-known for its medicinal use since the 1600s. The Museo della polvere da sparo e del contrabbando (Gunpowder and Smuggling Museum) illustrates the production of gunpowder along the Rassina stream and its tributaries during the 1800s and how it was pedalled illegally. An itinerary called “polveriera dell’Inferno” (powder keg of hell) has been staged outdoors, leading to one of the largest and best preserved “pilli” (stone mortars where gunpowder used to be manufactured).

LA VERNAThe convent (surrounded by beech, spruce, maple and ash woods that have always been tended to by its monks) preserves La Robbia terracotta artworks and a historical sixteenth-century apothecary with an important herbarium from the 1700s. It also hosts a guesthouse offering full board, in addition to Tau (a facility for youth groups wanting to experience Franciscan life). The International Festival of Organ Music is held in La Verna between July and August.

LA VIA DELLA TRANSUMANZA (TRANSHUMANCE TRAIL)One of the most important links between Francigena and Ghibellina is Via della Transumanza; it is the subject of a recent project for its recovery and renovation, which is being defined and awaiting appropriate signage. This involves a thick network of trails retracing the paths employed by shepherds beginning in the Middle Ages and all the way to the mid-1900s. They used to lead their flocks of sheep downhill, especially from Casentino and the Pistoiese areas, towards the uncultivated lands within the Pisa and Grosseto coastal area called Maremma, as it offered better pastures.

Bibbiena Cathedral

VIACLODIA

This strip of the Tuscany region is a compendium of all dichotomies regarding the historical and geographical microcosm of the Maremma area. The “magic” triangle made up of Pitigliano, Sovana and Sorano, in addition to the nearby Saturnia with its famous sulphurous water, immediately bring to mind the origins themselves of Tuscan civilization. Therefore walking along Via Clodia means travelling through its multifaceted history, announced by the shapes of the landscape, at times gently covered by vineyards, at others sculpted into tuff rock and forming disquieting ravines, gorges and caves that seem inaccessible and have never been scathed by man; instead they reveal archaic or mysterious signs left behind in distant times, if not even roads dug in trenches or complex rock settlements.

DEPARTURE Rome

ARRIVAL Grosseto (Roselle)

DISTANCE 260 km


ENTRY INTO TUSCANY in the vicinity of Pitigliano

HOW TO GET THERE Grosseto and Orbetello railway stations provide direct connections

by bus for Pitigliano; by car, A1 highway, Orvieto or Orte exits

Previous pages: Saturnia, the Mulino waterfalls

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COMMERCIAL ROUTEVia Clodia was built by the Romans as they most proba-

bly retraced a pre-existing Etruscan layout, constituted by Vie Cave trails that linked Pitigliano, Sorano and Sovana to-gether. Certain proof that this road already existed at the end of the third century B.C., which seems to have been totally paved from the year 225 B.C. Its position between Via Cassia and Via Aurelia made it a route especially intended for trade between Rome and its colonies in Etruscan lands, in addi-tion to serving for military transportation. It was also named “via delle terme” (spa road) as it reached a few spa locations scattered over the land, with Saturnia standing out from the rest. This route proposes an interesting environmental and historical-artistic journey through inland Maremma with its castles, medieval towns and cities dug into tuff rock that loom from atop rocky spurs, over a landscape that is at times wild, at times gently terraced for cultivating grapes that pro-duce excellent wines.

CITIES DUG INTO TUFF ROCK

Maremma with its tuff rock has always been a borderland, one contended for by Etruscans and Romans, Longobards and Byzantines, Grand Duchies and papacies. It was an impor-tant crossroads between northern and southern Etruria dur-ing ancient times, between the Tiber valley and coastal min-ing areas. Hence it was only natural for a rural and political settlement to find its place on the tuff plateaus, which today is testified by three larger cities and extensive necropoleis. The Etruscan one in Sovana is extraordinary for its contents and monumental nature, partially hidden in the vegetation that gives life to an environment of unique splendour. While the view becomes surprisingly compelling in the medieval towns of Sovana and Sorano due to their decline (arousing heart-rending nostalgia of the ancient that also won over the great archaeologist Ranuccio Bianchi Bandinelli from Tus-cany), the features of the tuff city assume the shape and col-ours of the volcanic rock in Pitigliano – in a spectacular blend of artifice and nature. Once leaving Rome in the direction of Lake Bracciano, we pass by the border between Lazio and Tuscany in the vicinity of Pitigliano, subsequently going by Sovana, Saturnia, Scansano, Montorgiali, Istia d’Ombrone and Roselle. A project is being implemented to extend the route in order to include Massa Marittima, Volterra, Calci and Camaiore.

WEBOGRAPHYwww.anticaviaclodia.it www.visittuscany.com/it/itinerari/la-via-clodia-in-toscana/www.visittuscany.com/it/attrazioni/il-parco-archeologico-citta-del-tufo/www.visittuscany.com/it/localita/pitigliano/www.leviecave.it www.parco-maremma.it

Sovana,

Piazza del

Pretorio

PLACES TO DISCOVER

5554

PITIGLIANOThere are places that make a strong impression in our minds right from the first time we set our eyes upon them. Pitigliano is most certainly one of these due to its exceptional visual impact with its houses standing on a sheer cliff over the tuff chasm, forming an uninterrupted and compact rampart that is simultaneously natural and artificial. Pitigliano was once an Etruscan and then a Roman city; during the thirteenth century, it belonged to the Aldobrandeschi family, who were replaced by the Orsini family in 1293. A Jewish colony settled in town during the fifteenth century: that historical presence persists from the cultural standpoint and subsists thanks to restoration and preservation interventions on community monuments (synagogue, matzah bread oven, ritual baths, cemetery, Jewish museum).

SOVANANot many towns manage to bring back the

atmosphere of ancient lifestyles as well as Sovana can, whose built-up area has shrunk over the course of centuries to the few houses left. These are lined up along the main axis that immediately blends into the countryside. Decadence, already underway during the 1400s, has dismembered the ancient tuff city while salvaging its most famous monuments. These have been recovered and improved, together with the tiny surviving nucleus, and today make up an environment of remarkable and unique worth.

SORANOSorano stands alongside Pitigliano and Sovana within this “triad” of tuff cities. It is as ancient as the others (Etruscan necropolis are scattered over its surroundings) and is no less fascinating for its particular urban structure. The village, of a medieval setup and once walled-in, possesses an interesting and peculiar internal organization dictated by the morphology of the cliff. A close mesh of

buildings, alleys, underpasses and stairways has been developed astraddle the said cliff.

SCANSANOA stroll down the cobbled medieval roads in the historic city centre of Scansano naturally leads to one of the many shops proposing a taste of its famous local wine, called Morellino, accompanied by the sampling of local cheese and cured meats. This farming hamlet, standing in an excellent position, met with important urban development during the mid-1800s under Leopold II since the main public institutions in Grosseto were transferred here during summer months in order to escape malaria – which infested the plain during that period.

CASCATE DEL MULINOWe have all dreamt of enjoying a regenerating stay at the spa at least once in our lives, with its warm baths, massages and all sorts of relaxing treatments. While this location is renowned as being an elegant and mundane spa, as it was already popular with Etruscans and Romans, enthusiasts of thermal baths are perhaps not aware of the fact that you can enjoy a bath free of charge, just a few kilometres from downtown, in the spring that forms the Mulino waterfalls. Sulphurous water flows down the waterfall, plunging into a great basin amidst sprays and clouds of water vapour, with a constant temperature all year round equal to 37.5 °C and with the possibility of bathing even at night.

GROSSETO Distant are the times when going to Grosseto meant embarking upon a journey towards that “harsh” Maremma area, where miasms and malaria raged. Today the most important inhabited town of this territory is nestled within a plain furrowed by the Ombrone River, at approximately 12 km from the sea. The historic city centre, enclosed inside a remarkable wall belt, is concentrated in the broad space dominated by the size of its Cathedral (from the late 1200s, but extended during the 1900s) and the adjacent Piazza Dante, with its porticoes and probably dating back to the fifteenth century: it was once popularly called Cisternone for a large artesian cistern attributed to the Lorraines. Pitigliano

Sovana, “tagliate” (long, narrow and deep paths)

CAMMINODI DANTE

Previous pages: Mount Falterona, Casentino Park

Exile and back. This is how one might summarize this ring, which is symbolically circular like the footsteps that accompany the “Commedia” of human life. And these were the exact places, astraddle the Tuscany and Romagna regions, that Dante Alighieri travelled through during the early twelfth century at the time of his exile from Florence. A path whose extremities host Dante’s tomb in Ravenna and the House-Museum of Dante in Florence. First and foremost, Cammino di Dante is a cultural, artistic, historical, philosophical and spiritual itinerary. One may come upon harsh Apennine slopes, castles belonging to Counts Guidi, the unscathed settings of the Casentinesi Forests and the green Tuscan hillside – all of which, just like a great fresco, participate in describing a fascinating scenario where one can recognize and locate some of the famous passages from The Divine Comedy.

DEPARTURE Ravenna

ARRIVAL Florence

DISTANCE 380 km, round trip


ENTRY INTO TUSCANY in the vicinity of San Benedetto in Alpe

HOW TO GET THERE by car, A1 highway, Firenze Nord exit, Signa, Certosa;

by train, Santa Maria Novella railway station

6160

THE HISTORICAL ROAD SYSTEM

The trail mostly follows “ridge” routes of Etruscan-Roman or-igin, which were later employed over the course of centuries and led to the development of the present-day road system dating back to the late-1800s. Transits on more recent roads are pro-vided for, when calling for a connection between various sites of interest; but the trail is nonetheless organized with the aim of reducing passages over paved roads to the minimum. The trail, which may be travelled on foot or by bicycle, departs and ar-rives in cities brimming over with history and culture (such as Raven na and Florence) and links together a whole series of places and smaller towns that are pleasant as a stopover to enjoy some peace and quiet, together with the slow and harmonious pace of day-to-day life. Cammino di Dante crosses the Casentino valley within the Tuscany region. Once outside Florence, one initially climbs up towards the mountain village called Montemignaio nel Pratomagno, then brushing up against the castles of Romena and Porciano (looming over the hamlet called Stia), the hermit-

age and monastery in Camaldoli, all the way to Mount Falterona (the Arno River springs from one of its sides). Once overcoming La Verna sanctuary, we come upon the town called Caprese Michelangelo (birthplace of the famous sculptor), hence the pic-turesque stone hamlets called Chitignano, Raggiolo and Talla, all the way to Poppi where a statue of Dante welcomes wayfarers from the square in front of the Castle belonging to Counts Guidi.

ONE OF NATURE’S GEMSThe Foreste Casentinesi national park, established in 1993,

stretches out over a vast territory astraddle the Romagna and Tuscany regions. Its state-owned forests are an ancient body whose cautious administration over the course of centuries has led to the preservation of a rich legacy of flora and fauna. The Sasso Fratino integral natural reserve (the first one established in Italy in 1959) and La Pietra natural reserve are both part of this body. Wolves and golden eagles have permanently returned to this area; substantial populations of deer, roe deer and fallow deer are simply the most obvious effect of a newly-found ecolog-ical balance. In July 2017, the UNESCO Commission has in-cluded its ancient and primeval beech forests in the list of World Heritage sites. The environmental setting on the Tuscany slopes is completed by a territory that is clearly marked by the activ-ities of man, who has shaped the landscape made up of forests that are alternated by pastures and cultivated lands, including parishes, hermitages and monasteries – emblems of the entire Casentino area.

WEBOGRAPHYwww.camminodante.com www.ilcamminodidanteincasentino.it www.firenzeturismo.it www.museocasadidante.it www.parcoforestecasentinesi.it www.visittuscany.com/it/territori/val-di-sieve

Statue of

Dante in

Poppi

PLACES TO DISCOVER

63

MARRADIIt is the birthplace of the poet Dino Campana who, thanks to his visionary prose, highlighted the deep bond with his native land. The surrounding Apennine territory is scattered with particularly fascinating religious monuments: amongst these stands the abbey complex of Badia di Santa Reparata, founded during the eleventh century by Saint Giovanni Gualberto; the Gamogna hermitage, founded by Saint Pier Damiani; the Crespino and San Giovanni in Acerreta abbeys.

SAN GODENZOIt is one of the ideal gates for accessing Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona, Campigna National Park with wide ranges of autumn hues; one of the best places to admire the changing colours of leaves with all their shades of red, yellow and orange. In addition to the beauty of nature, one can also admire sites of strong historical relevance such as Santa Maria hermitage and San Godenzo Abbey (a fine example of Romanesque architecture in the Tuscany region).

DICOMANOIts position standing halfway from the roads leading towards Florence and the Casentino area, from the Mugello and Romagna regions, have always made it a meeting-place and place of exchange between different traditions; this is testified by its historic centre that can boast of elegant palaces with connecting loggias. It is worthwhile paying a visit to Pieve di Santa Maria that looms over the inhabited area: the building has kept its original Romanesque structure and preserves within some remnants of frescoes in the style of Giotto (fourteenth century), in addition to a collection of numerous paintings from the sixteenth and seventeenth century Florentine school of art.

PONTASSIEVEThe name of this town, which stands at the confluence of the Sieve and Arno rivers, tells the story of the Medicean bridge dating back to the mid-1500s, when Cosimo I de’ Medici had it built in order to link Florence to Val di Sieve, the Casentino area and Valdarno. The structure of this bridge, which connects the historical village to the San Francesco di Pelago hamlet, is made up of two arches in red bricks that lean on a robust central pillar in pietraforte dominated by the coat-of-arms of the noble Florentine family.

San Godenzo

VIA LAURETANA SENESE

“Mare aperto” (Open sea) according to the poet Mario Luzi, but even a stretch of hills “senza dolcezza d’alberi” (without the gentleness of trees) in the words of Federigo Tozzi. Actually a landscape lacking vertical elements is very impressive and characterizes this strip of territory between the immediate vicinity of Siena (southwards) and the slopes of Mounts Cetona and Amiata. The Lauretana Senese trail, which travels across this extraordinary landscape, used to be an important inland connection in the direction of Via Francigena and Camucia, at the foot of Cortona; once it was overcome, the route went into the direction of Passignano, brushed up against Perugia and continued all the way to Loreto. While in the past this road was travelled upon by artists, pilgrims and merchants – today they are travellers who choose to walk amidst what was once defined one of the most beautiful landscapes in Italy.

DEPARTURE Siena

ARRIVAL Cortona


HOW TO GET THERE by car, from the north A1 highway, Firenze Impruneta exit and then

Superstrada Firenze-Siena freeway; from the south, Valdichiana exit

and then SS 326 Siena-Bettolle freeway; by train, Siena railway station.

Previous pages: Montepulciano

6968

BYPASSING THE SWAMPLANDS

From Siena to Asciano, Montepulciano and Cortona, follow-ing the path of an ancient Etruscan-Roman road. In fact the pri-mordial route (born as one of the many tributaries of Via C assia) passed through Fratta, Santa Caterina, Fratticciola, Creti, Ponti di Cortona, Foiano della Chiana, Lucignano, Rigomagno, San Gimignanello, Asciano and ended up in Siena. The strategic importance of this hillside itinerary was determined by the fact that it got around the Val di Chiana swamplands, hence foster-ing the transit of men and goods during periods when even the shortest and easiest path along the plains became difficult due to marshes and dangerous for the outburst of malaria. Grand Duke Leopold of the House of Hasburg-Lorraine was the one who improved road conditions in 1775. He had the most impor-tant stretch of Via Lauretana refurbished and reinforced as he was convinced that it could have been of great strategic impor-tance for the wheat trade in Val di Chiana, which during that period underwent relevant reclamation procedures.

CROSSING THE DESERTPoets, writers and artists from all times have attempted

to describe the very soul of this land – a land that seems to have been born with the aim of arousing admiration for its beauty. Over the course of centuries, the art of painting has drawn its inspiration from the varying and multicoloured ru-ral environments – turning backgrounds into the actual pro-tagonists of many masterpieces. The sight of this bare hillside immediately brings to mind scenes depicted by Duccio, Pietro Lorenzetti, Bartolo di Fredi, Sano di Pietro or Giovanni di Paolo. Yet in the history of art, a strange destiny was in store for the Crete Senesi area as it was extensively portrayed from the Middle Ages and all the way to the 1400s, later all but disappearing from Tuscan figurative art. Renaissance sensi-tivity distracted the gaze from that tormented clay and, at a later date, even eighteenth-century travellers participating in the Grand Tour turned their backs on it. The miserly bare-ness of spaces and monotony of its forms (that seem archaic, unchangeable and nearly petrified) are contrasted by the col-ours that instead surprisingly change with the seasons, in a constant evolution of hues going from bright green in spring-time to sunburnt yellow during summer months. The “redis-covery” of the Crete area, at the tourism level, is a rather recent phenomenon: perhaps the bleakness of the desert and the solitude of the clay landscape may be perfectly coupled with the anxiety of contemporary man.

WEBOGRAPHYwww.camminilauretani.eu www.visittuscany.com/it/itinerari/nelle-crete-senesi-lungo-la-via-lauretana www.visittuscany.com/it/territori/val-dorcia www.terresiena.it/crete-senesi www.monte-oliveto.com/ www.parcodellavaldorcia.com

Crete

Senesi

PLACES TO DISCOVER

7170

SIENA Piazza del Campo is the authentic heart of the built-up area – a place of sublime harmony and unitarity that make it one of the highest examples of medieval urban planning. Setting off from Campo al Duomo, we can follow Via di Città; its name informs us that it is the most important road in medieval Siena, in addition to being the one with the greatest concentration of aristocratic buildings. Not only was Piazza del Duomo the seat of religious power, but it also hosted the great Spedale di Santa Maria della Scala – today a cultural hub of primary importance.

ASCIANOWe reach Asciano after climbing up and down ravines and rises in the Crete Senesi area. Once overcoming the fourteenth-century wall, we can make our way into the village. Strolling through its centre offers various glimpses into the history of the village itself. The lordly character of some of its buildings make us realise that Asciano experienced a season of prosperity beginning at the close of the 1200s, thanks to its trade and cereal production. It is surprising to discover how much art and culture are concentrated in this farming village. A visit to the Museo civico archeologico e d’Arte sacra (Archaeology and Sacred Art Civic Museum), with its very new premises in Palazzo Corboli, is a must.

MONTE OLIVETO MAGGIORE ABBEYThe Monte Oliveto Maggiore Abbey, which is the heart of religion and art in the Crete Senesi region, is heralded by the intensely green vegetation concealing it. Cypress, olive, pine and oak trees unexpectedly meet the eye – almost a luxurious island circumscribed by the natural cliffs of the hillside. This was the primordial workshop of Oliveto’s agricultural science: this inhospitable land (during the 1300s significantly called the “desert of Accona”) was reclaimed, reforested and cultivated by local monks until it became one of the major fulcrums of Benedictine monasticism.

PIENZAInitially called Corsignano, it is a small village that depended upon the Monte Amiata Abbey from the ninth until the twelve century and was fortified by Siena during the mid-1200s as it was considered a strategic location in the territory. Pope Pius II (born Enea Silvio Piccolomini), whose entourage included Leon Battista Alberti, was the one to change its destiny (and also its given name, as it became Pienza – namely the city of Pius) hence becoming the fulfilled dream of Renaissance humanism. From the common purpose of these two men came the splendid experience of this urban system, which still remains one of the most successful examples of fifteenth-century spatial planning.

MONTEPULCIANOIt is a village of ancient nobility, where medieval architecture blends with the effects of Florentine Renaissance and the balances of Roman Mannerism: home of the refined bard of Humanism named Poliziano and training ground for architects such as Michelozzo, Antonio da Sangallo the Elder and Vignola. Montepulciano stretches out around its hill, a place full of historical recollections that have provided it with unique harmony in its forms. Following so much culture, it would be worthwhile making reference to the splendid wine produced in this land: Nobile wine, which has by now become famous worldwide.

CORTONAThe town is perched atop a position where one may admire great expanses of fields and hills; not by chance did the Etruscans choose it as a lookout over the surrounding territory. The bright green landscape of Val di Chiana gradually appears as we walk along the city streets, between its buildings in “pietra serena” sandstone and its panoramic small squares facing onto the immensity of the valley. Cortona is also famous for its craftsmanship, especially its ceramics, and for the national antiques exhibition market (one of the most prestigious events in the sector) that is staged between the last Saturday in August until the second Sunday in September.

Flags of the Siena “contrade”

VIA ROMEAGERMANICA

This trail was one of the main links between the Germanic world and central Italy during the Middle Ages. Obviously Via Romea Germanica means the route travelled by pilgrims from the Scandinavian peninsula and eastern/central Europe during their journey towards Rome. The present itinerary, which was identified during the early 2000s thanks to in-depth historical and archaeological research conducted in three countries (Germany, Austria and Italy), retraces the route travelled in the year 1236 by Abbot Alberto from Stade (an ancient hanseatic city). The long Tuscan stretch crosses the entire Arezzo territory and admirably summarizes the principal features of its landscape, one that is still seeped in the signs of sharecropping, where hilly ridges stretch out gently and are scattered with hermitages, abbeys, castles and small inhabited areas built in stone.

DEPARTURE Brennero

ARRIVAL Rome

DISTANCE 987 km


ENTRY INTO TUSCANY in the vicinity of Serra Pass or Mandrioli Pass

EXIT FROM TUSCANY in the vicinity of Pozzuolo

HOW TO GET THERE by car, A1 highway, Arezzo exit; by train, Arezzo railway station.

Previous pages: Arezzo, Buriano bridge

7776

PILGRIMS TOWARDS ROME

Those distant pilgrims must have truly been amazed when, once overcoming the Apennine ridge, their gazes fell upon those infinite expanses of forests that still cover the Casentino ridges. Upon reaching Alpe Serra, we may choose to follow the “historical” itinerary, namely the one cross-ing Valle Santa (only on foot) or follow the La Verna route (even by bicycle). The two itineraries later merged in the Arno Valley and lead all the way to the splendid city called Arezzo and its extraordinary cultural heritage of immense historical-artistic worth. Therefore on towards Valdichiana, ultimately reaching the city-museum of Cortona, another precious artistic gem, before leaving Tuscany as we are in the proximity of Lake Trasimeno shores.

FARMING LANDSCAPE AND RURAL HOUSES

The broad strip of territory, beginning in pre-Apennine ridges and extending out towards tuff and volcanic hills on the boundary between Tuscany and Lazio, represents a histori-cal and geographical area of well-defined environmental fea-tures. These are overlapped by a land structure and a farming landscape that are characterized by small sharecropping-run farms, rural houses perched on top of ridges like guardians of a fully outlined farming space, diverse crops with the prevalence of sowable land (especially wheat), vineyards and olive groves. The balance that had been enduringly maintained thanks to patient work in shaping the farming landscape was shattered during the post-World War II period and reached its peak during the 1960s with the definite abolition of sharecropping contracts (very widespread over the entire hillside area). On one hand this did not encourage farmers into making impor-

tant improvements on the land, while on the other certainly fostered the persistence of landscape forms that today (in a very different social and cultural context) are the pride of those same regions that just a few decades ago seemed to be doomed to the most absolute stagnation in farming. Valdichiana in particular, between the beginning of the 1800s and the early 1900s, was subjected to reclamation activities and became a fertile land for cereal farming, livestock breeding, wine and silk production. There still remains a network of farmhouses distributed over the reclaimed countryside, which stand as proof of the progress achieved.

WEBOGRAPHYwww.viaromeagermanica.com www.visittuscany.com/it/itinerari/la-via-romea-in-toscana-da-sassaia-a-cortona www.visittuscany.com/it/proposte-di-viaggio/la-via-romea-di-stade-5-giorni-in-cammino-nella-storia/ www.visittuscany.com/it/territori/valdichiana www.terresiena.it/it/val-di-chiana www.lavaldichiana.it/il-paesaggio-culturale-tra-mezzadria-e-agricoltura/

Castiglion

Fiorentino,

Piazza del

Municipio

and

Loggiato

Vasariano

PLACES TO DISCOVER

7978

SUBBIANOHistorically, the element distinguishing the landscape in this strip of the Casentino area has been its use of water. Bridges, mills, ironworks and artefacts for the transportation of lumber from the surrounding forests by waterways stand as proof of the aforesaid. Traces of all this remain in Subbiano, a village nestled on the banks of the Arno River. It preserves the remains of an old mill, in addition to historical small squares and a castle complete with Lombardic tower.

AREZZO The city seems to be especially bound to the figure of Piero della Francesca and his role as innovator capable of distancing himself from the static nature of medieval art, embarking upon the innovative ground of perspectives. Piero della Francesca’s Legend of the True Cross, not coincidentally considered a revolutionary artwork for its technical innovation, involves a series of frescoes created by the artist between 1453 and 1466 that is housed inside the San Francesco church. Strolling along Arezzo’s historic city centre means surrounding

oneself with the centuries-old history of a city that was once Etruscan and then Roman, one that has always held its head up high. The facades of its buildings, the monumental nature of its squares (suffice it to recall the beautiful and unique Piazza Grande) and its religious buildings – everything in Arezzo recalls the historical and cultural importance of the city.

CASTIGLION FIORENTINOSighted from the Cassero tower (the emblem of this close-knit hillside village), Castiglion Fiorentino is at the heart of one of the most surprising recent archaeological discoveries

in Tuscany: in fact, an important and very ancient sanctuary has been brought to light in the Cassero area, revealing that an Etruscan town once stood in this location. The town was of strategic importance for the connections between Arezzo, Cortona and Chiusi – large cities belonging to the political makeup of the time. Moreover, a visit to the picture gallery reveals works of medieval art that are of equal awesomeness, such as the “Crucifix” attributed to Master of Saint Francis (fascinating thirteenth-century Umbria-born painter) and two paintings by Bartolomeo della Gatta (one of the most original fifteenth-century artists in Tuscany).

VALDICHIANAEtruscans, and later the Romans, used

white mammals that were large in size (ancestors of present-day cattle of the Chianina breed) during their triumph processions and as sacrifices to the gods. Historical evidence of their presence during ancient times also involves sculptures and paintings – such as the bull’s head depicted over a Roman altar from the first century A.D. discovered in Asciano, not far from Valdichiana. The pure white colour and remarkable dimensions are features intrinsic to the Chianina breed, whose breeding developed in great measure beginning in the nineteenth century, coinciding with completion of land reclamation operations in Valdichiana; since then, Chianina began to be considered as amongst the most selected breeds in Italy.

LA STRADA DEI SETTE PONTI (SEVEN BRIDGES ROAD)The Casentino area may be reached from Florence by travelling over this ancient road, named as such for the stone bridges that are encountered along the way. The trail (which is approximately 60 km long) successively touches upon Pontassieve, Vallombrosa, Reggello, San Giovanni Valdarno, Loro Ciuffenna and comes to an end in Arezzo. Short deviations allow hikers to visit some romantic parishes, amongst the most beautiful and best preserved in the Arezzo area.

Chianina cattle breed in Valdichiana

Arezzo

ROMEA STRATA

A picture that immediately meets the eye on this very long road once travelled upon by pilgrims from central-eastern Europe is that of a large riverbed that, while flowing towards its mouth, picks up many secondary branches as it forms a furrow that is even broader and more complicated than that of the Francigena trail itself. One of the main routes is certainly Romea Nonantolana Longobarda that begins in Badia Polesine, passes through Nonantola, crosses the Apennines at Croce Arcana Pass and then travels across most of the Pistoia mountain. The itinerary snakes its way within a landscape characterized by high peaks, many waterways, woods and forests with lush vegetation and abundant in conifers, chestnut and beech trees. The inhabited areas tell the story of a centuries-old relationship with the mountain and its ancient (and by now extinct) activities.

DEPARTURE Tarvisio

ARRIVAL San Miniato

DISTANCE 1.300 km


ENTRY INTO TUSCANY in the vicinity of Croce Arcana Pass

HOW TO GET THERE by car, A11 highway, Pistoia exit; by train, Pistoia railway station.

Previous pages: San Miniato landscape

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POWERFUL ABBEYSThe Tuscan stretch of the great Romea Strata route

crosses most of those that once were the domains of the pow-erful Nonantola abbey. Together with Cluny and Canterbury, Nonantola was one of the most important and powerful Benedictine abbeys in Europe. Works for the reorganization of medieval roadways were commissioned by Aistulf, King of the Lombards, who donated the lands of Fanano and Sestola to his brother-in-law Anselm in 749. At the time of the downfall of Nonantola to the rise of the autonomous and rival powers of Modena and Bologna, most of the Longobard trail was the subject of a treaty signed in 1225 between the Modena and Pistoia municipalities that was effective over the entire feu-dal era. High-altitude grasslands are reached in the vicinity of the Pass, offering vast views over both the Emilia and Tuscan valleys. Climbing down towards the plain, Romea Strata crosses Cutigliano, San Marcello Pistoiese, Pistoia, Ser ravalle Pistoiese, Monsummano Terme, Larciano, Lamporec chio, Quarrata, ultimately Fucecchio and San Miniato.

ANCIENT TRADESBeing natural obstacles, mountains are often considered

frontiers that separate opposing realities. But border areas may also be considered as centres of expansion and irradiance, as small universes endowed with their own worth and capable of attracting, of joining men and countries close to one another. This is the case for the Pistoia mountain crossed by Romea Strata, which allows us to almost travel back in time while discovering the Apennines and investigating the relationship developed be-tween man and the environment over the course of centuries. Moreover, the development of this extraordinary district has been entrusted to the creation of the Ecomuseo della M ontagna Pistoiese – a widespread museum organized over a network of outdoor itineraries, cultural institutions and education cen-tres. Its administrative premises are in Gavinana, a village in the San Marcello Pistoiese municipality, inside the historical Palazzo Achilli that is the seat of Punto Informativo Centrale (Central Information Point) with its interactive workshops and reception facilities. Hence, for example, the iron route narrates the story of the iron and steel industry from the Middle Ages to the fourteenth century, when the area became the number one iron and steel hub in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany thanks to its woods and abundant water providing natural energy to the forges. Whereas, when travelling over the ice route, we may discover the production of natural ice on the Pistoia mountain between the close of the 1700s and the early 1900s. And there are more sites providing information on natural heritage, sa-cred art, stone manufacturing or daily life of these locations.

WEBOGRAPHYwww.romeastrata.it www.visittuscany.com/it/territori/montagna-pistoiese www.visittuscany.com/it/localita/pistoia www.territoriopistoia.it www.ecomuseopt.it

Below:

Fucecchio

Page 86:

Pistoia, San

Giovanni

in Corte

Baptistery

PLACES TO DISCOVER

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CUTIGLIANOPiazza del Municipio is dominated by Palazzo Pretorio or Capitani della Montagna, built in the late-1300s. Its façade hosts approx. 100 coats-of-arms in stone and glazed terracotta, reminiscent of captains who governed the lands from those premises. Setting off from town, which is a renowned ski resort, we reach Lake Scaffaiolo and Pian degli Ontani. The wonderful Abetone State Forest begins here, at an altitude between 950 and 1930 metres, with its ancient beech and silver fir trees.

SAN MARCELLO PISTOIESEIt is the main village in the area, standing on a hill sloping down to the Limestre stream. It preserves relics of St. Celestina – patron saint of mountains. It is the ideal starting point for interesting excursions along an old railway or through the ancient Teso forest.

PISTOIA Around the year 1000, Pistoia proclaimed itself a free commune; it bravely fought against Florence and was eventually defeated, but kept its independence until 1556 when it was incorporated into the Kingdom of Tuscany. Legacies of the town’s history that remained intact are: Palazzo Comunale, Palazzo dei Vescovi and Ospedale del Ceppo (decorated in Della Robbia glazed terracotta). The Pistoia museum system is also well articulated with its Civic Museum, Museo Rospigliosi, Marino Marini and Giovanni Michelucci documentation centres (a tribute to these two illustrious men of art born in Pistoia).

FUCECCHIO It was founded by Counts Cadolingi who established a Signoria that was equidistant from major cities and at the crossroads of important land/water routes. Subsequently, during the 1300s, it became part of the Florentine dominion. After the great plague, it recovered along with the gradual repopulation of the countryside fostered by the municipality that surrendered its lands to those who reinstated farming, and with rising acquisitions by Florentine landowners – including the House of Medici. The Enlightenment reform promoted by Pietro Leopoldo I laid down the plans for modern development; during the 1800s, Fucecchio’s principal activities were linen manufacturing and various artisan activities. It later developed other industrial activities, such as match manufacturing.

SAN MINIATOIt is the emblem of the spirit and architectural features of the most beautiful towns in Tuscany; a compendium of history and culture expressing itself in a host of historical sites and museums that must be visited: Tower of Frederick II, Santa Chiara monastery with its annexed museum, Oratory of Loretino, its art collections housed in Arciconfraternita della Misericordia and Accademia degli Euteleti. But the village also has an ancient history of agricultural life based upon the farm nucleus, with small plots circumscribed by rows of cypress and elm trees set in an orderly and harmonious landscape.

CAMMINIFRANCESCANI

No other trail better than this one gives hikers the chance to get in touch with the extraordinary life experienced by St. Francis, discovered every step of the way along its stages, the hours spent walking, the view and silence of its locations, the hospitality received along the road between Assisi and Rome. The figure of Francis is present inside hermitages and religious buildings being visited, but it also lingers in the harmony of the landscape where the gentle Tuscan and Umbrian hillside instils a sense of peace and harmony that represents an inseparable element of Franciscan spirituality. An authentic path of the soul that meets the need (even of contemporary man) to search for the sense of life deep inside one’s very essence.

DEPARTURE La Verna

ARRIVAL Rome

DISTANCE 400 km


EXIT FROM TUSCANY shortly after Gricignano

HOW TO GET THERE by car, E45 road, Pieve Santo Stefano exit; by train, Arezzo railway station

Previous pages: La Verna sanctuary

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DIFFERENT PATHS, ONE SOLE INTENTION

On foot, by bicycle, presently even on horseback or riding a donkey. Different paths intersect one another. This is the route that Francis travelled upon, setting off from La Verna (Tuscany) and arriving in Poggio Bustone (Lazio), just as Via di Francesc o that goes all the way to Rome; the Assisi Way that sets off from Dovadola (Romagna), entering Tuscany at the Calla Pass, hence reaching Camaldoli and La Verna. From here, it runs parallel to the other trails. The Mountain Community in Val Tiberina has outlined and reported a Cammino di Francesco (St. Francis trail), a ring that mostly coincides westwards with the Cammino di Assisi and eastwards with the route called “Di qui Passò Francesco” (On the Road with Saint Francis). All of the routes have excellent signage. The common starting point is La Verna sanctuary, which is set in fir and beech tree forests. The first part of the journey travels along paths that are often steep and on a downhill climb – in need of a moderate amount of physical training. Then the gentler hills of the Upper Tiber River valley are overcome, reaching the towns of Pieve Santo Stefano and Sansepolcro (on the border between the Tuscany, Umbria and Marche regions). Some other important locations are reached when continuing the road southwards, such as Città di Castello, Gubbio, Valfabbrica, and lastly Assisi with its monumental basilica dedicated to the Saint.

SILENT PLACESWhile La Verna is the principal reference point for Fran-

ciscan devotion in Tuscany, the entire Upper Valtiberina area possesses a considerable number of convents, monasteries and hermitages that accommodate pilgrims and wayfarers from around the world. These sites should be visited for the abun-dant historical and artistic evidence collected therein, but es-pecially for being places where one can stop, for a few hours or better yet for a short stay, while enjoying the peace, quiet and spiritual setting that linger within. For example the Caselle hermitage recalls where Francis stopped, after having received the stigmata, in a place called La Casella, to bid farewell to Mount Laverna. Cerbaiolo, a small monastery built upon the rocks, stands in the Pieve Santo Stefano municipality. Francis-can friars took up residence there in 1218. It has not been as-certained whether Francis ever lived there, but it is most likely that he travelled through during his journeys. And then there is the Montecasale hermitage on the hillside in the vicinity of Sansepolcro, built by Camaldolese monks upon the remains of an ancient fortress and used as a pilgrim hospice and a care centre for the ill. The list could go on and on. This is where one may search for the place that best corresponds to one’s idea of spirituality, while maintaining an intimate relationship with nature and the surrounding environment.

WEBOGRAPHYwww.laverna.itwww.valtiberinaintoscana.itwww.visittuscany.com/it/itinerari/cammino-di-san-francesco-dalla-verna-a-montecasalewww.visittuscany.com/it/attrazioni/il-santuario-della-verna www.battaglia.anghiari.itwww.parks.it/riserva.alpe.luna

Anghiari

PLACES TO DISCOVER

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PIEVE SANTO STEFANO Since 1984 this beautiful town on the shores of the Tiber River hosts, on the premises of its Town Hall, the Archivio diaristico: a public archive collecting diaries, letters and memories of ordinary people. The Archive, which was conceived and founded by the journalist Saverio Tutino, presently also hosts Piccolo museo del diario (Small Diary Museum) – a magical place where objects whisper about the lives preserved within, as they are the lives of everyone and the history of Italy itself.

CAPRESE MICHELANGELOPerched upon a hill not distant from the Alpe di Catenaia complex, the great “Florentine” artist (whose father was dispatched here from Florence, as podestà) was born here in 1475. He was baptized in the simple town parish church; the life and art of the Master are narrated in the local museum.

ANGHIARI AND MONTERCHIWe reach Anghiari, which became famous thanks to Leonardo da Vinci’s fresco depicting the battle of 1440, across a landscape abundant with centuries-old woods and panoramic views; its small squares and narrow alleys host a number of antique shops and furniture restoration workshops. One visits Monterchi especially for Piero della Francesca’s famous Madonna del Parto: an innovative and original work of art which was the artist’s tribute to his mother, who was actually born in Monterchi.

SANSEPOLCRO To reach Sansepolcro, which is the birthplace of Piero della Francesca, we can head into the highroad that has been connecting it to Anghiari since 1329, crossing the countryside in a perfectly straight line and overlapping a reclamation canal. Memories of the artist linger through the air of this village; many of his

most famous works are preserved in the civic museum (such as the Polyptych of the Misericordia, The Resurrection, his frescoes of San Giuliano e San Ludovico). After admiring Piero’s sublime and serene art, one must face the drama illustrated by Rosso Fiorentino in his Deposition, an emotional masterpiece of Tuscan Mannerism that is preserved in San Lorenzo church. The style and times of Piero della Francesca continue to live on every second Sunday in September, during the Palio della Balestra (Crossbow Palio), according to an ancient tradition that dates back to six-hundred years ago: skilled local crossbowmen, dressed up in costumes inspired by the Master’s paintings, challenge their equally skilled

“rivals” from Gubbio to hit the target using impressive equipment.

ALPE DELLA LUNAThe Reserve stretches out over a vast district that, from the Alpe della Luna divide, slopes down towards Valtiberina and the Marche region. It is essentially a vast wood: beech woods are predominant at high altitudes, whereas lower altitudes host Turkey oak and European hop-hornbeam trees. The uniqueness of Alpe della Luna lies in its isolation that has allowed this area to remain in a state of near wilderness; there are no major routes of communication, but only forest paths and hiking trails, and an extremely limited number of housing units present on location.

Sansepolcro, Montecasale hermitage

Caprese Michelangelo, birthplace of Michelangelo

Pieve Santo Stefano

Editorial Project:Toscana Promozione Turistica

Cart’Armata edizioni Srl

via Calatafimi 10, 20122 MilanoTel. 02-83.24.24.26

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Texts by: Eduardo Grottanelli

Translations and editing by Contextus Srl, Pavia, Italy (Vittoria Farallo)

Cover photos: Simone Frignani, iStock

Photography: Regione Toscana: pag. 6, 16, 19 in alto, 20, 26, 28, 42, 44, 48, 52, 54, 55, 62, 68, 77, 80, 84, 86, 94 in alto, 95Simone Frignani: pag. 5, 10, 14, 15, 18, 19 in basso

Niccolò Mazzucco, Luciano Mazzucco, Guido Mori: pag. 8, 27iStock: pag. 25, 36, 79

Shutterstock: pag. 30, 34, 46, 56, 64, 71, 72, 94 in bassoAdobe Stock: pag. 38, 43, 60, 78, 88, 92

Mapping:

© Monte Meru Soc. Coop. (Assisi)

Printed: November 2018Stampatori della Marca Srl, Castelfranco Veneto (Tv)

This book has been printed on paper with FSC® certification,

guaranteeing origin of raw material from responsibly managed forestry.


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