Upper Mugello - Firenzuola - Marradi
Upper Mugello
In the upper basins of the Santerno, Senio and Lamone rivers we come to the towns of Firenzuola, Palazzuolo sul Senio and Marradi, illustrating the features of the Florentine Romagna. While distinguished by individual history and characteristics, they nevertheless share many elements, foremost among them an environment of great naturalistic importance and the generous presence of quality natural products, among which the Marrone IGP, or chestnut, reigns supreme. They also share the persistence of traditional crafts, in particular that of the working of the pietra serena, plentiful as a result of the local marly-sandy formations, as well as the marked influence of nearby Romagna in many aspects of daily life. Coming from Scarperia, just beyond the Passo del Giogo, we can see the distance the town of
Firenzuola, the "little Florence" founded by the Florentine Republic in the fourteenth century. Particularly interesting is the Rocca where a fascinating museum devoted to pietra serena,
the most important natural resource of the area, has been set up in the skilfully renovated underground vaults. The broad piazza in front is also very fine, as is the central street lined with porticoes, very lively during the summer season. The municipality of Firenzuola is one of the largest in Italy, and boasts a wealth of sites of artistic and naturalistic interest. Moscheta, a small
masterpiece of nature, a starting-point for hiking excursions on foot and on horseback in the surrounding protected areas, recounts its ancient history through the fourteenth-century Vallombrosan abbey, now housing a museum illustrating the salient features of the
Mugello Apennine landscape. In Bruscoli, instead, the numerous exhibits of the Museo Storico Etno-grafico document the history of the Tosco-Emilian Apennines.
Set within a highly suggestive natural context,
Palazzuolo sul Senio is a peaceful, well-kept little town, with interesting historical and artistic features, such as the fourteenth-century Palazzo dei Capitani del Popolo, housing the Museo delle Genti di Montagna and the Museo Archeologico Alto
Mugello or the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Neve, close to the town, or again the parish
church of San Giovanni Decollate in Misileo, of very ancient origins, as revealed by the crypt
dating to the Carolingian period. Along the state road no. 306, before the border with Emilia Romagna, we come to the Badia di Susinana, built in the twelfth century and rebuilt on various occasions, now transformed into a villa-estate.
Not far from Palazzuolo we find the town of
Marradi, by now
internationally famous for the excellent chestnuts which are
grown in the vicinity, and which play such a major part in not only the local gastronomy. The fulcrum of the urban structure is made up of the fine Piazza Scalelle, overlooking which are the Palazzo Comunale with its broad loggia and other mansions. The cultural vitality of Marradi, the birthplace of the poet Dino Campana, is represented by the elegant, late eighteenth-century Teatro degli Animosi.
In the vicinity are two extremely important monastic complexes: the Badia del Borgo, with the church of
Santa Reparata in Salto, dating to the eleventh century, and the hermitage of Gamogna, which can be reached only on foot via a footpath grafted onto the road for San Benedetto in Alpe. Marradi, like all the
Mugello is the ideal spot for excursions on foot, on horseback or by mountain bike, or simply for those in search of peace and quiet.
.... from `
Mugello ` ( Apt
Florence )
