Casentino Valley in Tuscany Italy
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, wroughtiron work, stonework and “woollen cloth”; it is a special blend of charm and values in which mankind still maintains its harmonic relationship with the environment. Casentino is considered one of the most beautiful valleys of Tuscany.
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 through 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, Montemignaio, Castel San Niccolò, Poppi, Ortignano Raggiolo, Bibbiena, Chiusi della Verna, Chitignano, Castel Focognano, Talla, Capolona and Subbiano.
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