A land rich in art, craftsmanship and traditions
Casentino is a beautiful valley that extends from the city of Florence to Arezzo, surrounded by mountains like Falterona where the source of the Arno is found. It contains impressive and luxuriant forest like those of the Casentinesi National Park and those around the hermitage of Camaldoli. The valley includes secluded places where nature and art meet.
There are then places that have left strong traces in literature and history, such as the battle of Campaldino, June 11Th, 1289. Not far from the Villa is the plain that leads to Poppi, in Campaldino, the site where the Guelfs of Florence confronted the Ghibellines of Arezzo. Among the cavalry was a young Dante Alighieri on the side of the white Guelfs. This well-known battle is linked to the Divine Comedy, Campaldino has a fundamental importance in medieval history not only for the Florentine victory that led to the domination of the Guelf power in Italy and Florence but also for the rest of Tuscany.
But also because the story was told by many others, from historians to scholars of the time, such as Giovanni Villani and Dino Compagni. The battle of Campaldino is absolutely the most well know and studied mediaeval battle; it is an ideal place to observe and understand where the mediaeval wars took place, from the beginning to the events that led to hostilities, from strategic planning to tactical encounters. All these elements of the war became important history which reveal much about life during that time.
Dante Alighieri passed many years in exile in Casentino, living with feudal friends. There he wrote some of the most memorable parts of the Divine Comedy. It is said that his design for hell was inspired by the ancient tower of the Romena castle.
…Casentino which during the 1400’s saw the manufacture of many terracotta objects such as those by DELLA ROBBIA, still found today. The whole area is rich in archeology. It’s enough to think that every hill, was the land of choice to construct a castle, built by a feudal lord. From there began the control of the nearby lands.The churches which were the center of social life for ordinary people are built in Romanesque style.
Area parks, such as the Casentinesi National Forest are full of pine, beech and chestnut trees and inhabited by deer, wild boar, wolves and many bird species. In the center of the national park there is found the most ancient natural reserve of Europe: The Sasso Fratino Reserve.
