“Come and stay with nature”
Search for traces of history in places. A path in the footsteps of Dante. From Florence following the Commedia.
The Casentino in the heart of Italy is a beautiful valley with parishes, woods, bridges, castles and villages, not widely known to the majority but visiting them you can discover many beauties and feel the sensation of magically reliving the past. Humanists and painters who later worked in Florence came from this area as well as the timber used by Brunelleschi to build the dome of S. Maria del Fiore of the cathedral of Florence. The river Arno was born from a mountain in Casentino and also the great Michelangelo Buonarroti.
Castle of Poppi
The medieval village of Poppi is a rare “walled city” on top of which is the Castle of the Counts Guidi built in the thirteenth century; This castle is famous for its architecture and because it was a prototype for the construction of Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. The castle contains a rich library and a Bible gem commissioned by Lorenzo the Magnificent with drawings by Botticelli, the memory of the historic battle of Campaldino and the chapel of the counts with frescoes attributed to Taddeo Gaddi, a pupil of Giotto.
This castle is a rare example of medieval architecture left with its original lines. In addition to the historical importance of the owner of the castle one of the first contacts that Guidi had with Dante Alighieri will be remembered. We will visit the most important rooms.
Dante
The presence of Dante in Casentino is remembered in many places in this Tuscan valley. A representation of the poet is found in front of the Castle of Poppi and in L Tappe where the poet walked and wrote his most famous songs. The Casentino at the time of Dante Alighieri was very popular, with all its fortified centers, Romanesque churches and its impressive castles that were new at the time. Dante Alighieri had a very close relationship with the Casentino and here he composed the part that most describes the torment and the reflections of his spirit. You will understand the drama and the beauty of his work by visiting these places.
Raggiolo
This village is located in the valley of the Teggina stream; The village of Raggiolo is a small jewel at an altitude of 678 meters s.l.m. and resting on a dominant rock spur on the Treggina valley. It was in control of a ridge course that climbs towards the Pratomagno passes and connects the Casentino with the Valdarno. A Raggiolo is home to the Ecomuseum of Castagna It is a place that remained as 100 years ago when the nearby woods were paths that struggled to walk in the hills around. Visiting these villages is like diving into the past.
Buffet stop
to enjoy simple but tasty local products prepared for you by local families.
You will shortly remember the history and the ways in which you lived in these places and anecdotes of moments in the life of the poet Dante Alighieri who lived most of his exile from Florence in these places. This land that few people know was a source of inspiration for verses studied all over the world that gave rise to our Italian language. The poet lived most of his exile from Florence hidden in these places that were for him a source of inspiration.
The walk according to your choice can be of 2 types:
Beautiful forest walk
From Raggiolo to Quota Path in the silence of woods that can make you imagine being in a fantasy movie. A village that began its history as a settlement of the Goths around the watchtower and control on the routes to the mountain passes between Casentino and Valdarno.
From Raggiolo to Poppi
-From Stia to Capo D’Arno, walk (on foot or by bike) to get to the Arno’s spring through the beech-woods and firs of the National Park of Casentino Forests
Dante Alighieri. In one of these places, according to the dates, we will have the opportunity to meet those who are experts in Dante Alighieri, promoter of the project “Il Cammino di Dante in Casentino”, which in the medieval cloths of the Florentine poet will proclaim and comment a passage in Purgatory or Inferno next to the sound of the river, still newborn, which flows from the rock (if the trekking walk will be chosen until arriving at the mouth of the Arno) or from another point of the “Walk of Dante in Casentino”.
if at the availability of your time and the season.
Return to Stia and departure
Details
Departure from Florence: 2.15 pm
Duration: 5 h.
Departure from Valdarno: 14.15
Duration: 4.30 h
Rate
Not included: Buffet and Eventual declamation.
