VISIONS OF TUSCANY

VILLAGE FESTIVAL

VISIONS OF TUSCANY

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Casentino, in the upper Arno valley, is a land of castles, Romanesque Pievi (Parish Churches), Della Robbia terracottas, Dantesque places and spiritual spots. A green oasis within the Appenine chain between Tuscany and Romagna, Casentino boasts a long artisan tradition within the fields of woodwork, wroughtiron work, stonework and “woollen cloth”; it is a special blend of charm and values in which mankind still maintains its harmonic relationship with the environment. Casentino is considered one of the most beautiful valleys of Tuscany. Its borders, marked by the mountain ridges of Monte Falterona, Pratomagno and the Catenaia Alp make it look like a vast amphitheatre, in the centre of which the Arno river flows, running through the bottom of the valley as far as the plain of Arezzo before heading towards Florence. Casentino stretches for approximately 700 km2 and has a population of 35,000 inhabitants. From an administrative point of view, the municipalities of Casentino, from north to south, are the following: Stia, Pratovecchio, Montemignaio, Castel San Niccolò, Poppi, Ortignano Raggiolo, Bibbiena, Chiusi della Verna, Chitignano, Castel Focognano, Talla, Capolona and Subbiano. read the history of the Casentino Valley BIBBIENA The old part of Bibbiena, a medieval fortress, is set at the top of a hill surmounted by the Torre Tarlati. One noteworthy monument is the 16th-century Palazzo Dovizi, named after the renowned family from where Cardinal Bernardo, called il Bibbiena (1470-1520) belonged. He was secretary to Pope Leo X, diplomat, and author of the comedy La Calandria, which held a mirror up to Renaissance society. Read More CAPOLONA Situated on the right bank of the Arno, the commune of Capolona encompasses a close formation of hills that make up the southern spurs of the Pratomagno. The hills slope gently down to the right bank of the Arno, where the centuries-old villages of Lorenzano, Caliano, Vado and Castelluccio are located. The village of Santa Margherita, with its medieval buildings, is a short distance from Castelluccio. Almost directly on the river-bank is the Church of Santa Maria Maddalena a Sietina, the most important historical and artistic feature in the area, built along an old Roman road in the early 11th century. The present plan of the church features a nave and two aisles terminated by three apses. Read More CASTEL FOCOGNANO The village of Rassina stretches out along the state road No. 71 where the stream of the same name empties into the Arno. Rassina, the administrative centre of the commune, displays the typical shape of villages that grow alongside major roads in the plain. The former administrative centre, Castel Focognano, in ancient times Castrum, has ruins of 14th-century Read More CASTEL SAN NICCOLO' Strada, the administrative centre of the commune, is dominated by the ancient castle of the Guidis. The main square is partly occupied by a pretty arcade, built with local stone, that served as a market-place. Here and in the streets of the village is held each year a stonework fair, an exhibition of objects made by sculptors and stone-cutters. Read More CHITIGNANO The municipal boundaries of Chitignano follow the borders of a Tuscan rural signoria that survived from the Middle Ages up to the late 18th century and extend up the slopes of the Alpe di Catenaia. Archaeological finds and the names of the two nearby villages of Rosina and Taena, together with the sulphurous waters there, have long led experts to hypothesise the presence of a sacred complex in the area. Read More CHIUSI DELLA VERNA The mountain of La Verna is one of the holiest places of Christendom and is inseparably linked with the story of St. Francis of Assisi, who in September 1224 received the “last seal” of the Stigmata of Christ. Rich in natural beauties and works of art, for nearly eight centuries La Verna has been a centre of attraction to, and propagation of, the Franciscan message. Read More MONTEMIGNAIO The village of Montemignaio is perched on the wooded north-east slopes of the Pratomagno range, between Monte Secchieta and the Consuma mountain crossing. To those arriving from lower Casentino, Montemignaio offers a view of the tower of the old Castel Leone and steeply terraced fields. Read More ORTIGNANO - RAGGIOLO Between Bibbiena and Poppi, west of the Arno, in a crescendo of hills that rapidly develop into mountains, lies a valley magnificently remote from the present: Teggina. The lush green of its forests, the rushing stream, the constellation of walled villages and scattered farmhouses, a silence that makes one feel time has been suspended, all these combine to produce a diffuse sense of peace. From Ortignano the road climbs toward the Pratomagno, the imposing mountain that dominates the horizon with its ridges and spurs and solitary woodlands. Read More PRATOVECCHIO Pratovecchio, the birthplace of Paolo Uccello (1397-1475), is characterised by ancient streets and typical arcaded piazzas. Of great historical importance is the old Abbey of Santa Maria a Poppiena. Located on the outskirts of the village, it still has its original semicircular apse and beautiful bell tower. Read More STIA Stia is among the most charming villages of Casentino, land of castles and Romanesque parish churches. It lies at the bottom of a valley where the limpid waters of two rivers converge, the Arno and the Staggia. The ancient road that runs through the village widens to form a piazza with an irregular, incredibly harmonious shape, defined by the lovely 17th- and 18th-century buildings that enclose it in a series of porticoes. Read More SUBBIANO The village of Subbiano stretches along the left bank of the Arno, at the point where the valley widens into the plain of Arezzo. The historical part of the village is quite well preserved; around it, however, there has been considerable urban expansion in the last few years. The old part of the castle is still inhabited. The castle tower has been restored to its original shape. The castle of Castelnuovo features a very beautiful square tower overlooking a vast territory. Read More TALLA The village of Talla is located at the foot of the Castellaccia, an ancient fortified place containing the house said to have been the birthplace of Guido d’Arezzo (997-1050), the Benedictine monk who perfected musical notation. The Talla district covers the south spurs of the Pratomagno and features deep valleys and majestic forests that once had Etruscan and Roman settlements. Read More