Between Florence and Arezzo there is an enchanted valley: the beautiful Casentino land.

Surrounded by green mountains, like the mt.Falterona where the Arno river springs; immersed in an ancient forest attended for centuries by the Camaldoli monks, that now is a National Park.

Studded with secret and sacred places where history, art, nature and spirituality melt wonderfully; extraordinary art masterpieces, intact middle-age villages and castles, Romanesque parish churches in the shadow of old cypresses.

Here you can still find living traditions: rites of archaic roots, patronal festivities, village festivals, and prosperous craftsmen activities spreading from a solid partnership between human talents and nature resources.

Every hidden place, every crystal-clear stream in the woods, every ravine is a folk-tale scenario, where fairies, cunning devils, virtuous saints, awful monsters, bold knights and other numberless characters colour the lively popular inventory of miths and legends.

Here food is prepared with simple and genuine ingredients. “Poor” family recipes reveal, with their exceptional aroma and taste, their pleasant origins: the “acquacotta” (a bread soup with vegetables), the “scottiglia” (a middle-age old stew with many types of meat), the potato-filled “tortelli” (home-made pasta), the pork-based recipes, the chestnut-based ones, the typical salami and cheeses with their unmistakable smells.

Nature, art, culture, fine food, closeness to cities like Florence and Arezzo, and the overall feeling of beatifulness and relax make of this valley a really happy place, and your holiday here an unforgettable one.