Casentino Discovery

Casentino Discovery

Secluded and preserved by its morphology, Casentino has it all to amaze the traveller wishing to discover a different Tuscany: sacred forests and monasteries, beautiful medieval hamlets and dramatic landscapes. Here hills are not as gentle as in the postcards from Valdorcia, but you will fall in love with Casentino Valley precisely for its authenticity. Our discovery tour starts from the hill town of Poppi, that was once the court of local rulers Conti Guidi. Italian 13th-century writer Dante Alighieri called their castle home when he was forced to exile from Florence. After visiting Poppi we will drive on to Pratovecchio, located on the Arno river. This will be our starting point for a short 3-km hike up to Pieve di Romena, a magical church surrounded by lavender fields and olive trees. From there, we will walk on up to the ruins of Romena Castle (1.5 km) before reaching the medieval village of Stia, where you will be free to self-explore this little town and its green surroundings.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Castle of the Earls Guidi, Piazza della Repubblica, 1, 52014 Poppi AR, Italy

We will start our tour in the Casentino Valley with a walk up to the Castle of the Earls Guidi in the Medieval hamlet of Poppi, where we can enjoy a 360 degrees view over the valley. Dante Alighieri stayed in this castle when he was exiled from Florence.

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Stop At: Pieve di Romena, Strada Provinciale 73, 52015 Pratovecchio Italy

From Pratovecchio we will walk 2.5 km to reach the pictoresque Romanesque Church of Romena, from the second half of the XII century, with its meditative garden, surrounded by lavender fields. We will have a light lunch at the local charity running the spiritual community living there all year.

Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Castello di Romena, Localita Romena Alta 11, 52015 Pratovecchio Italy

From the church of Romena we will go on a short hike to visit the ruins of the old castle.

Duration: 1 hour