On their trips to Tuscany, many tourists visit the picturesque towns and vineyards of Chianti, the area that stretches between Florence and Siena. Fewer venture into the Casentino, in the opposite direction, between Florence and Arezzo. Less geometric than Chianti, the countryside there is more undulating and gentle, although to reach it from Florence you have to drive over a 1050 meter-high mountain. But a stop at Consuma, the village at its summit, to buy schiacciata, the traditional Tuscan salted flat bread and freshly sliced raw ham or mortadella for lunch or a quick snack makes the effort well worthwhile.
Sadly, some of the landscape of the Casentino has not been protected with the same rigour as the Chianti landscape and has, because of the economic necessities of providing work for those living in the area, been marred in places by the unsympathetic insertion of light industries. Nonetheless, it is still dotted with romantic villages and Romanesque churches and is seeped in history.
One of my favourite villages is Poppi, situated not far from the site of the famous battle of Campaldino between the Guelfi and the Ghibellini in 1289. It lies in the shadow of the medieval Castle of the Guidi Counts, a sort of Lego-size prototype of Palazzo Vecchio, which has a dominating view of the surrounding scenery and the Arno river which flows beneath it.
Not too far away, the extensive and beautiful National Park of the Casentinesi Forest is a walkers’ paradise. It is also where the peaceful monasteries of Camaldoli, founded in 1012, and La Verna where St. Francis spent the last years of his life can be found. The antique pharmacy and galenic laboratory within the Camaldoli monastery, dates from 1513, and still sells some of its wares.
Try not to miss other towns like Stia and Bibbiena both renowned for their artisans and for their good food.
