Between nature and history in the National Park

Historical naturalistic itineraries in the Casentino Forests Park

Monte Falco, Lake of Idols, Capo d’Arno, Black Gorga. Fascinating excursion destinations on Falterona, the mountain where Dante Alighieri walked

Campigna and its forest have had great historical importance since the Middle Ages. Trekking to get to know the wonderful nature of this place

The Hermitage of Camaldoli was founded by San Romualdo in the 11th century. Trekking to walk on the probable paths of this monk

Badia Prataglia originated from an abbey founded at the end of the 10th century. The itineraries for trekking in the forests of this town

The Via Romea Germanica, a road used in the Middle Ages by pilgrims who went to Rome. His crossing of the Apennines.

Mount La Verna was particularly dear to San Francesco. The itineraries that make us retrace the probable paths of the saint of Assisi.

Pratomagno, the mountain that divides and unites Casentino and Valdarno. The itineraries that make us walk in its woods and on large meadows.

The National Park of the Casentinesi Forests, Monte Falterona and Campigna is a vast mountainous area of almost 37,000 hectares located on the Tuscan-Romagna Apennines. An area where we can "invent" numerous itineraries to try out walks and hikes of all lengths and degrees of difficulty. The paths in the National Park take us through various types of woods, but we will walk mostly through beech and fir woods. We will meet many streams and some spectacular waterfalls. We will walk on meadows and clearings that will offer us beautiful landscape views. The Apennine ridge is usually covered by vegetation, in the points where this is missing we will have breathtaking views, both over Tuscany and Romagna. These itineraries can combine the naturalistic aspect with the historical one because within the Parco delle Foreste Casentinesi there is no shortage of places with an important history that can be Etruscan, medieval or just a few decades ago. On the Tuscan side of the Apennines there are two well-known spiritual poles in Italy and beyond: the Hermitage and the Monastery of Camaldoli and the Franciscan Sanctuary of La Verna. Therefore discounted the possibility of being able to create paths that combine the naturalistic cut with the spiritual one.
Great characters of the Middle Ages walked on the mountains that today make up the National Park. The first was San Romualdo, founder of Camaldoli in the second decade of the 11th century. Then came San Francesco who in the first and second decade of the thirteenth century frequented La Verna and certainly walked on this mountain and in the surrounding areas. Finally, at the beginning of the fourteenth century, the exiled Dante Alighieri arrived. The Supreme Poet, in his movements between Casentino and Mugello and between Casentino and Romagna, necessarily walked on Mount Falterona and in the Campigna area. Trekking in the paths of the National Park of the Casentinesi Forests, Monte Falterona and Campigna means, therefore, walking in the footsteps of great figures in Italian history, religion and literature.
The Casentino valley is squeezed between that stretch of the Apennine ridge where the National Park is located and the large Pratomagno massif. This last mountain, as the name suggests, is characterized by a large meadow along the entire ridge, offers many possibilities for trekking and walking, of great interest from a natural, landscape and historical point of view. In the 11th century, San Giovanni Gualberto, Founder of Vallombrosa, and Guido Monado, inventor of musical writing, walked in Pratomagno.

Below are the areas where you will find itineraries described in detail.

ITINERARIES FOR EXCURSIONS ON MONTE FALTERONA

ITINERARIES FOR TREKKING IN CAMPIGNA FOREST

ITINERARIES FOR WALKS AND TREKKING IN CAMALDOLI

ITINERARIES FOR WALKS AND TREKKING IN BADIA PRATAGIA

THE SPECTACULAR ROUTE OF THE VIA ROMEA
IN ITS CROSSING THE APENNINES

ITINERARIES FOR EXCURSIONS AND WALKS IN LA VERNA

ITINERARIES FOR EXCURSIONS AND TREKKING IN PRATOMAGNO

TREKKING AND WALKING ITINERARIES IN THE MOUNTAINS NEAR AREZZO

ITINERARIES FOR HIKES AND TREKKING IN ALPE DI CATENAIA

Excursion in Pratomagno of about 11 km which will introduce us to the Gastra Pass, the Uomo di Sasso, the Poggio Tre Confini
on the mountain ridge. It will also be an opportunity to meet the historical, architectural and artistic aspects of the Solano valley

Excursion in the northern part of Pratomagno of 14 or 10 kilometers which will introduce us to the Abbey of Vallombrosa, Monte Secchieta, Poggio della Risala with its large wind turbines, Croce al Cardeto and the Forest of Sant'Antonio with the Capanna delle Guardie

A very short walk but with a three-hour stay in Pratomagno between Colle della Croce and Poggio delle Portacce to enjoy the
beauties and emotions that this mountain can give us when the Casentino and Valdarno cover themselves with a blanket of fog

A ring itinerary in Pratomagno of about ten kilometers that will introduce us to beautiful woods, the Buite Refuge and
will make us walk on that stretch of ridge from Pozza Nera to Poggio delle Portacce. The path can easily be shortened

A ring itinerary in Pratomagno of about 13 km and almost 1900 meters of total altitude difference. We will walk on the meadows of the massif and on its Valdarno slopes of the mountain to get to know an incredible village: Rocca Ricciarda.

A circolar itinerary in Pratomagno of 11 or 14 kilometers and a total altitude difference of 1500 or 1750 metres. The starting point of the walk is the village of Trappola. We will climb to Cima Bottigliana and reach Poggio Masserecci and the Pozza Nera.

An itinerary in Pratomagno of 13.5 or 21 km, 1400 or 2200 meters of total altitude difference. From Trappola to Pian della Fonte, to the Le Tre Punte cliff, to Badia Santa Trinita, to Cima Bottignana and back on CAI 22. Route of high historical value.

An itinerary of 12 kilometers and 1100 meters of total altitude difference on the southern slopes of Pratomagno with departure and return to Pontenano. A journey through nature and rich in historical aspects, such as medieval artefacts and transhumance roads.

A 12.5 kilometer circular itinerary that leads from Pontenano to Badia Santa Trinita walking on the CAI 44. For the return we follow the CAI 32 which goes up to the Varco di Anciolina from where we return to Pontenano with the CAI 46. A route of high historical value.

An itinerary that starts from Capraia and on CAI 32 leads to Badia Santa Trinita. From the ruins of the abbey we can return to Capraia with two different routes. Both itineraries have a length of 10.5 kilometers and a total altitude difference of 900 o 950 metres.

Itineraries in the territory of Faltona, Municipality of Talla, which take us to discover historic and characteristic villages, show us beautiful nature, beautiful waterways, the ruins of the Hannibal Bridge. The longest route takes us to Badia Santa Trinita.

A 5.5 km route on the southern slopes of Pratomagno which, in addition to beautiful landscapes, wide panoramas and large oak trees, will show us Byzantine evidence such as the base of a tower a few meters from the church dedicated to Sant'Apollinare.

Monte Falco, Lake of Idols, Capo d’Arno, Black Gorga. Fascinating excursion destinations on Falterona, the mountain where Dante Alighieri walked

Campigna and its forest have had great historical importance since the Middle Ages. Trekking to get to know the wonderful nature of this place

The Hermitage of Camaldoli was founded by San Romualdo in the 11th century. Trekking to walk on the probable paths of this monk

Badia Prataglia originated from an abbey founded at the end of the 10th century. The itineraries for trekking in the forests of this town

The Via Romea Germanica, a road used in the Middle Ages by pilgrims who went to Rome. His crossing of the Apennines.

Mount La Verna was particularly dear to San Francesco. The itineraries that make us retrace the probable paths of the saint of Assisi.

Pratomagno, the mountain that divides and unites Casentino and Valdarno. The itineraries that make us walk in its woods and on large meadows.