The Casentino is a mountain valley and lies between Florence and Arezzo, almost exactly in the middle of the bootleg of Italy and extends parallel to it from north to south. It is formed by the upper reaches of the Arnos, the source of which is at the top of the valley. At the valley exit where the Arno makes a tight curve and flows north again to Florence, lies the largest city in the region, Arezzo.
background
The Apennine hills on both sides of the valley edge are mainly covered with chestnut forests. The left side of the valley was declared a national park a few years ago, which is a blessing, especially in autumn, as you don't have to be afraid of cocky hunters anymore ...
On the right side of the valley is the Pratomagno - large meadows with free-range herds of cows and horses and a magnificent view of the Casentino and the further course of the Arno on the other side. Hiking is great on both sides of the valley. The valley has some beautiful villages to offer, for example Bibbienawhere there are very good shopping opportunities and a hospital or Poppi, which is a little smaller than Bibbiena, but has a larger municipal area and is even a little more beautiful than this. In Poppi ([1]) There is a beautiful Castello, a small zoo with sometimes dubious animal husbandry, cinema and discos and a little north a large bowling center, of course you can also go shopping there.
places
- Bibbiena
- Capolona
- Caprese Michelangelo
- Castel Focognano
- Castel San Niccolò
- Chitignano
- Chiusi della Verna
- Ortignano Raggiolo
- Poppi
- Pratovecchio Stia
- Subbiano
- Talla
getting there
The valley can be reached either by train via Arezzo or by bus (SITA) from Florence. If you come by bus or car from Florence over the Consuma Pass or choose the route from the east over the Mandrioli Pass, you should bring travel tablets with you - the pass roads are very, very winding.
Tourist Attractions
Arezzo ([2]) has a handsome old town with numerous churches, including frescoes by Piero della Francesca.
activities
Tuesdays takes place in Poppi the weekly market with vegetables & specialties, clothes and other things takes place on Thursday (a little bigger) in Bibbiena.
kitchen
Restaurants with local specialties are numerous. Wild boar and mushrooms from the forests of the valley are particularly recommended.
nightlife
The immigration of numerous Romanians in recent years is also slowly becoming apparent. Recently in Pratovecchio and a Romanian discotheque in Arezzo.
accommodation
There are numerous hotels and agroturismi (farms that offer overnight stays - with different levels of comfort).
trips
From Poppi there is a small train to Arezzo, by car the journey to Arezzo as well as to Florence takes about an hour. It takes about 3 hours to get to the east coast and 4 hours to get to the west coast. Siena is also about 3 hours away by car, but it is definitely worth the trip. With the same railway line (Arezzo - Poppi - Stia) you can Stia to reach.
literature
- A travel guide to the Casentino. It describes the history and places of this landscape: Giovanni Caselli: "Casentino Guida Storico Ambientale". It could be that this guide is also available in other languages.
