OTHER FACILITIES AND PLACES
OF INTREST NEAR BY: A word from the owners:
Pratomagno mountains and the Aretine Apennine.
One of the magic places of Tuscany
is the Aretine Apennine. This area is the birthplace
of Michelangelo, Piero della Francesca, Masaccio, Vasari,
Guido Monaco and Petrarca. Loving care has been shown
to the Etruscan and Roman remains, to villages and castles
of the Middle Ages, to Romanesque parish churches and
the fascinating cliffs called "balze" which
date back to a huge Pliocene lake, to the old charcoal
piles and the water mills, to the landscapes that Dante
described in the Divine Comedy. There are abbeys and
hermitages, thermal springs, watershed pathways with
spectacular views of the Casentino, the Arno Valley,
the Chianti mountains, the Trasimeno lake and, to the
very south, on the Amiata mountain.
Just close your eyes, put your finger
on the map and leave to discover new places. Our land
with its genuine beauty will astound you. You will find
history, arts and nature everywhere: at the table, in
our food, in our wonderful local wines and in the olive
oil.
Strong and old flavours, recipes that
have been passed through generations like duck "in
porchetta", "acquacotta" soup, pici with
wild boar sauce, "tagliata" with mushrooms
or with truffles, traditional mixed grill, "Sangiovannese"
stewed meat, chestnut flour "pulenda" served
with ricotta and hand made cookies with Vinsanto.
In our small library at Villa Belpoggio
you will find books and maps to organize your own trips
by car, by bicycle or by foot. For our part, it will
be a pleasure to make suggestions and to tell you some
small secrets of our area.
THE SETTEPONTI ROAD: One excursion which can give you a complete idea of
the Pratomagno and Arno Valley is the itinerary that
follows the "Seven Bridges" Road from Villa
Belpoggio to Arezzo: 30 km that you can drive and walk
through very slowly to enjoy a beautiful landscape.
The Setteponti Road dates back to
the Etruscan age. With the Roman conquest of Etruria,
it was given the name "Cassia Vetus" and during
the Middle Age and the Renaissance it was one of the
main roads leading to Rome.
All along this road the villages of
Montemarciano, Loro Ciuffenna, Campogialli, Borro and
Castiglion Fibocchi still keep their medieval past.
For the last ten centuries the Gropina Parish Church
(from the Etruscan word "Krupina") silently
dominates the valley below. Cypress trees and farm houses
show the traditional classic image of Tuscany. At Ponte
a Buriano there is an old Roman bridge which it is said
was crossed by Annibale (Hannibal). The bridge crosses
the Arno in a natural park area where during autumn
and spring you can see herons, falcons and cormorants.
Keep on driving for few kilometres
and you will see the city of Arezzo on top of the hill
at your right. This stretch of the Setteponti Road coincides
with the Arezzo Wine Road. You can also stop by some
vineyards to taste wines and delicacies belonging to
a part of Tuscany that has to be yet discovered.
Old "seccatoi"... ...water
mills and "frantoi"
If you plan to go on holiday in autumn, you could be
able to visit our "seccatoi" - small stone
buildings where the chestnuts can be dried next to a
low wood fire that keeps burning for several days -
and enter the water mills where the chestnut flour is
produced.
Close to Villa Belpoggio there are
two very old water mills: one is in the mountain village
of Gorgiti and the other one, that dates back to 1200,
is located in Loro Ciuffenna.
During the month of November the
"frantoi" (oil mills) also open their gates
and you could have the opportunity to taste the freshly
made extra virgin olive oil.
MAIN CITIES: The
cities of Florence and Arezzo can be reached in 25 minutes
by train, free from the worry of finding a parking space.
You can drive to Siena in 45 minutes,
going through a panoramic road that is also the “Chianti
Classico wine road” . It could be a pleasant obligation
to visit some prestigious producers and taste the most
famous Tuscan reds.
Besides the very well known cities,
there are also smaller medieval towns like Cortona,
Sansepolcro and Anghiari, at about 30/40 minutes by
car, that absolutely are worth visiting.
All the bookings for guided tours,
museums and special events can be made through the reception
of Belpoggio, before or after your arrival.
SHOPPING: Having delighted in the artistic treasures and the beauties
of the countryside, you can browse around the numerous
small shops and farms, looking for some rare and tasty
food items. Genuine wine and olive oil, truffles, chestnut
flour, honey, "zolfini" beans, fresh cheese
and delicious ham of the Pratomagno mountains are just
some of the many typical local products.
In the artisan workshops you can buy
hand made wrought iron, wood, stone and marble items,
potteries and embroideries.
If you are particularly interested
in antiques, there is only the embarrassment of choice
in the numerous shops which liven up our old villages.
The Arezzo Antique Fair, placed in a beautiful scenario,
is Italy's most famous antique market and it takes place
every first week-end of the month.
Back to the present, you can also
visit the nearby Prada, Gucci, Dolce e Gabbana and Fendi
factory outlets: clic here for more information: http://www.intuscany.net/guides/shopping_spacci.htm
For very nice Italian style glass
gifts, the IVV company, has also a very interesting
outlet in San Giovanni Valdarno.
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