Monteferrato Nature Reserve

The Monteferrato Nature Reserve, designated as a place of Local Interest, comprises the hills and mountains that border the northern stretches of the Florence, Prato and Pistoia plain, in the area of Montemurlo, Prato and Vaiano.

The territory includes three groups of mountains: Monte Javello, 931 metres a.s.l., and the Cavallaie, 977 metres a.s.l., to the north, Poggio di Becco, 504 metres a.s.l., to the west, and Monte delle Coste to the east, 518 metres a.s.l., which together form a natural amphitheatre with Monteferrato at the centre, facing the south, an element that both physically and symbolically characterizes the entire area.

The animal life on Monteferrato is considerably important, given that it includes species of birds and mammals that are either rare or completely non-existent in other territories. The mammals in the reserve include ungulates like deer and wild boars, while the insectivores include shrews and a particular species of bat, the long-eared bat.