Casentino
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Its geographical position in the north-west of Tuscany once rendered the
Casentino more a perpetual object of feudal possession than a thoroughfare.
It was coveted by the Florentines who continually strove to wrest it from
Arezzo. The Guidi family of Poppi held estates in the valley and kept watch
over them from castles, still standing today, that occupied the most formidable
and lovely positions: Romena, Porciano, Urbech, Castelleone, Castel
San Niccolo, Borgo alla Collina, Montemignaio and Fronzola - names
familiar to Dante and in many instances mentioned by him. Bibbiena and fertile
lands in its vicinity belonged to the warlike Tarlatis and Ubertinis of Arezzo;
and it was the plain of Campaldino, not far from Poppi, that fate chose as
the scene of the bloody battie which ended the long-standing struggle between
the Guelphs and Ghibellines.
The secluded situation and mystical beauty of the Casentino have ever
recommended its forest-covered heights as an ideal region for spiritual retreat.
Here the clamour of civil strife penetrated as no more than a murmur from
some distant storm at sea. Here St Francis climbed to La Verna, which became
the place he loved most for the rest of his life and on whose "bare
rock" he received the stigmata. Here St Romuald founded a hermitage at
Camaldoli with the soughing of the wind through the forest as his only companion.
Cool, sparkling streams with famous names like the Archiano still
tumble down ceaselessly to swell the Arno.
Paolo Uccello was an illustrious son of this region, and Michelangelo
was born at Caprese in the Tiber valley, close to La Verna. Every spot hereabouts
was beloved by Dante, who came here first as a young knight to fight
at Campaldino and later as a wandering exile from Florence.
The Middle Ages are past, but, the harmonious essence of the Casentino
remains unchanged. Its abiding serenity and kindly people create an unforgettable
impression on the spirit.
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At Casentino, there is tourist accommodation available in hotels, farm holiday, farmhouse, residence self-catering accommodation, b&b, rooms for rent, holiday homes, camp sites and tourist villages.
Casentino
