From the Poppi Castle to the gold-tinged forests
Autumn in the Casentino is truly magical. The ancestral forests are tinted with a thousand shades of yellow, red, orange and gold, the villages are filled with the aromas of wood burning in the fireplaces and chestnuts roasting on the fire: nature readies itself for winter flaunting its most beautiful colours, and in the towns you can breathe in the crisp air that speaks of snow to come.
It’s a wonderful moment to go hiking in the forest, to look for mushrooms, to visit towns that seem to be frozen in time. Here’s an itinerary for two days surrounded by castles, hermitages and untouched forests, experiencing this wild corner of Tuscany during its most beautiful season.
The weekend begins in the village of Poppi, home to the imposing Castle of the Guidi Counts, one of the most important examples of medieval architecture in Tuscany, still perfectly conserved. You can’t miss the visit to the manor house, where you can admire the Hall of Festivities and its rich decorations, the prisons and the Rilliana Library, which conserves 25,000 volumes and 800 manuscripts, 150 of which date to the Middle Ages.
After a walk through the historic center, perhaps with a shopping trip dedicated to the traditional Casentino wool cloth, it is worth stopping for lunch to taste some of the territory’s classic dishes: potato tortelli served with butter and sage.
In the afternoon, head to the Camaldoli Monastery and Hermitage, in the heart of the Casentino Forests National Park: the community of Benedictine monks was founded 1,000 years ago by St. Romuald and is today an oasis of peace and tranquillity immersed in the forest, where you can admire incredible artworks, like the seven panel paintings by Giorgio Vasari.
The weekend begins in the village of Poppi, home to the imposing Castle of the Guidi Counts, one of the most important examples of medieval architecture in Tuscany, still perfectly conserved. You can’t miss the visit to the manor house, where you can admire the Hall of Festivities and its rich decorations, the prisons and the Rilliana Library, which conserves 25,000 volumes and 800 manuscripts, 150 of which date to the Middle Ages.
After a walk through the historic center, perhaps with a shopping trip dedicated to the traditional Casentino wool cloth, it is worth stopping for lunch to taste some of the territory’s classic dishes: potato tortelli served with butter and sage.
In the afternoon, head to the Camaldoli Monastery and Hermitage, in the heart of the Casentino Forests National Park: the community of Benedictine monks was founded 1,000 years ago by St. Romuald and is today an oasis of peace and tranquillity immersed in the forest, where you can admire incredible artworks, like the seven panel paintings by Giorgio Vasari.
The second day is dedicated to exploring the wonderful forests of the Casentino, the most colourful in Italy. Here, you can admire a unique fall foliage, when the leaves are tinted a thousand different shades, from canary yellow to reddish-purple, from intense green to orange.
One of the most majestic views in the area is Mount Penna: from up here, you can enjoy a unique view of the Lama forests and a large portion of the valleys descending towards Emilia-Romagna, with splendid forests boasting their own autumn colours.
There are many proposals for two-wheelers, who will find here the most beautiful forest track in Italy: an easy 20-kilometer route on a perfectly maintained dirt road with a gentle and regular slope. The trail follows the bed of an old service railway line that transported timber from the locality of La Lama to the locality of il Cancellino, near Badia Prataglia.
The second day is dedicated to exploring the wonderful forests of the Casentino, the most colourful in Italy. Here, you can admire a unique fall foliage, when the leaves are tinted a thousand different shades, from canary yellow to reddish-purple, from intense green to orange.
One of the most majestic views in the area is Mount Penna: from up here, you can enjoy a unique view of the Lama forests and a large portion of the valleys descending towards Emilia-Romagna, with splendid forests boasting their own autumn colours.
There are many proposals for two-wheelers, who will find here the most beautiful forest track in Italy: an easy 20-kilometer route on a perfectly maintained dirt road with a gentle and regular slope. The trail follows the bed of an old service railway line that transported timber from the locality of La Lama to the locality of il Cancellino, near Badia Prataglia.