Casentino Valley - Natural and Spiritual Oasis in Tuscany
Casentino
, in the upper Arno valley, is a land of castles, Romanesque
pievi (parish churches), Della Robbia terracottas, Dantesque places and spiritual spots.
A
green oasis within the Appenine chain between Tuscany and Romagna, Casentino boasts a long artisan tradition within the fields of woodwork, wrought-iron work, stonework and "woolen cloth"; it is a special blend of charm and values in which mankind still maintains its harmonic relationship with the environment. Casentino is considered by right one of the most beautiful valleys of Tuscnay.
Its borders, marked by the mountain ridges of
Monte Falterona,
Pratomagno and the
Catenaia Alp make it look like a vast amphitheatre, in the centre of which the
Arno river flows, running throught the bottom of the valley as far as the plain of Arezzo before heading towards Florence.
Casentino stretches for approximately 700 km² and has a population of 35,000 inhabitants. From an administrative point of view, the municipalities of Casentino, from north to south, are the following: Stia, Pratovecchio, Montenignaio, Castel San Niccolò, Poppi, Ortignano Raggiolo, Bibbiena, Chiusi della Verna, Chitignano, Castel Focognano, Talla, Capolona e Subbiano.
The abundance of water and its green woods always characterized the Casentino landscape. Thanks to these natural characteristics, it became the favourite place for
monasteries and hermitages and at the same time a source of inspiration for poets and men of letters in all ages.
From the solitary wanderings of the Divine Poet to "D`Annunzio`s" idle stays near the towers of Romena, to the Romantic tours of travellers during the eighteenth and the ninenteenth centuries, up to Dino Campana`s "tormented pilgrimages".
Its peaceful and meditative atmosphere has always harmonized with the magic aura still sorrounding
castles, water sources and mountain peaks, wardens of stories where history is mixed up with myth and legend.
This intrigue of mysticism and mystery, of
intense devotion and superstition, seems to originate from this small Tuscan spot. Characters of fairies, monsters, saints and blessed souls enliven the rich heritage of anecdotes and legends from the "closed valley".
... from
Casentino Sviluppo e Turismo
