St. Antony’s Forest
An area rich in fauna and vegetation
The wooded area of Sant’Antonio lies within the vast natural amphitheatre overlooking the centre of Reggello. To the north it borders the ridge of Poggio Massa Nera (1075 metres above sea level), follows the main ridge round from Poggio della Risala (1485 m) to Varco di Reggello (1354 m). It is closed off by the secondary ridge of Poggio Castelluccio (1379 m), at the border of the municipality of Castelfranco di Sopra, next to the state-property forest area of Pratomagno-Valdarno. The forest clears around the slope below the Secchieta refuge.
The area is criss-crossed with 18km of paths signposted by the Italian Alpine Club. In recent years the local mountain community has also set up some rest areas, equipped with tables and wooden benches; more of the latter can be found around the primary visitor access points. There are also some very basic bivouacs, where travellers can rest an sleep, provided that they have sleeping bags. The most important of these structures are without doubt those of the ‘Case S. Antonio’ and the Capanna delle Guardie, which can take around 10 people. The bivouac of Prato di Dietro has recently been restored and made operational again, and is even more Spartan than the aforementioned cabins.
