Valtiberina
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The Roman patricians at the time of Augustus discovered the beauty of the
area and built several villas. Then came the feudal lords and abbots who
erected sturdy, bold castles and monasteries, followed by saints who found
suitable sites to satisfy their mystic thirst.
Michelangelo maintains that he owes his genius to the surrounding
countryside. Of course, his words cannot be taken literally; however, there
remains the fact that he, a native of these mountains, had the gift of perceiving
life in the core of a stone block just as Piero della Francesca in his birthplace,
Borgo San Sepolcro, had already understood the secret of light and space and
translated it onto paintings.
So it is perhaps not by chance that other little-known, indigenous artists
have carved magnificent, religious works of art and elegant pieces of furniture
out of the tree-trunks from these forests, simply for the joy of living in peace
and harmony with Man and Nature.
The powerful bishops from Arezzo, the landlords from Montefeltro, the
Podesta from Perugia, the Popes from Rome all fought between themselves for
centuries to control these mountains and valleys, where the women were
extremely agile with their hands, weaving a lace cloth even finer than that found
in Flanders and who, it is said, possessed the secret of a culinary art, elsewhere
unknown.
Of bygone battles, the one which readily comes to mind is that fought
between the Florentine and Milanese armies on the flats below Anghiari in 1440.
Yet, it is not the historical event which is remembered but rather the fact that it
inspired one of Leonardo Da Vinci's masterpieces.
The Upper Tiber Valley is traversed in its entire length by Tiber State
Highway no. 3 which connects Rome directly with northern Italy, crossing the
Apennines just at the point where the Tiber rises. Numerous roads, all in good
condition, link the area with the various towns, castles, churches and sanctuaries.
Arezzo is easily reached, as too the Valdichiana and Casentino to the
west, Romagna to the north and Montefeltro and the Adriatic coast to the
east.
Due to its mountainous character, the Upper Tiber has always been
engaged in forest-related activities and the raising of sheep and cattle. Even
though wood working has reached industrial proportions today with the
manufacture of traditional-styled furniture, the preparation of milk products still
maintains its traditional character of celebrated gastronomic value.
In San Sepolcro and Anghiari, the antique tradition of lacework still survives
whilst in continual expansion is the manufacture of shoes, clothing, Italian pasta
in particular and components for the building trade.
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At Valtiberina, 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.
Valtiberina
