The Casentino is the valley in which the first tract of the river
Arno
The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber.
Source and route
The river originates on Monte Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and initially takes a ...
flows to
Subbiano,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
.
It is one of the four valleys (alongside
Valdarno
The Valdarno is the valley of the river Arno, although this name does not apply to the entire river basin. Usage of the term generally excludes Casentino and the valleys formed by major tributaries.
Some towns in the area:
* Rignano sull'Arno
* ...
,
Valdichiana
The Val di Chiana, Valdichiana, or Chiana Valley is an alluvial valley of central Italy, lying on the territories of the provinces of Arezzo and Siena in Tuscany and the provinces of Perugia and Terni in Umbria.
Geography
The Val di Chiana is ...
, and
Valtiberina
Valtiberina is a valley crossed by the upper course of the Tiber (which originates from Monte Fumaiolo in Emilia-Romagna), unfolding between Tuscany
it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title ...
) in which the
Province of Arezzo is divided.
Mount Falterona, from which the Arno starts, represents the northern boundary between the Casentino and
Romagna. On the east of the valley are the Alpe di Serra and the Alpe di Catenaia, which separate the Casentino from the highest tract of the Valtiberina. On the west there is the Pratomagno, which separates the valley from the
Valdarno
The Valdarno is the valley of the river Arno, although this name does not apply to the entire river basin. Usage of the term generally excludes Casentino and the valleys formed by major tributaries.
Some towns in the area:
* Rignano sull'Arno
* ...
Superiore. Part of the valley is included in the
Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona, Campigna National Park
The Parco Nazionale delle Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona, Campigna is a national park in Italy. Created in 1993, it covers an area of about , on the two sides of the Apennine watershed between Romagna and Tuscany, and is divided between th ...
.
It can be said that the valley has an oval form, with an extension across the river that varies from a maximum of to a minimum of . The topography of the Casentino is especially various, including both plains and mountains rich in large forests. These mountains have often attracted great saints: it was here that St.
Romuald built his hermitages at
Camaldoli, and that less than two centuries later St.
Francis of Assisi established the Sanctuary of
La Verna
La Verna ( la, Alverna is a locality on Mount Penna ( it, Monte Penna), an isolated mountain of situated in the centre of the Tuscan Apennines, rising above the valley of the Casentino, central Italy. The place is known especially for its ass ...
, the headquarters of the
Franciscan
, image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg
, image_size = 200px
, caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans
, abbreviation = OFM
, predecessor =
, ...
order.
The valley's biggest ''
comuni
The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...
'' are all located in the Arno valley: among these the biggest are
Bibbiena
Bibbiena () is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Arezzo, Tuscany (Italy), the largest town in the valley of Casentino. It is located from Florence, from Arezzo, from Siena, and from the Sanctuary of La Verna. There are approximately 11 ...
and
Poppi
Poppi () is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Arezzo in the Italian region Tuscany, located about east of Florence and about northwest of Arezzo.
Poppi borders the following municipalities: Bibbiena, Castel Focognano, Castel San N ...
, while
Capolona,
Castel Focognano
Castel Focognano is ''comune'' in the province of Arezzo, Tuscany, central Italy.
The comune lies in the Casentino valley on the left bank of the River Arno. Although it is named after a village on the slopes of the Alpe di Catenaia, the mun ...
,
Castel San Niccolò
Castel San Niccolò is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Arezzo in the Italian region Tuscany, located about northwest of Arezzo and about east of Florence.
Castel San Niccolò borders the following municipalities: Castelfranco Pia ...
,
Pratovecchio Pratovecchio Stia is a ''comune'' in the province of Arezzo, Tuscany. It was formed by the merger of the two former ''comuni'' of Pratovecchio and Stia in 2014.
History
Dono di Paolo, father of the Florentine artist Paolo Uccello, was a barber-su ...
,
Stia
Piazza Tanucci at Stia.
Stia is a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' of Pratovecchio Stia in the Province of Arezzo in the Italian region Tuscany, located about east of Florence and about northwest of Arezzo. It was an independent commune until i ...
,
Subbiano are more or less smaller. The villages located on the neighbouring hills and mountains are much smaller. These are
Chitignano,
Chiusi della Verna
Chiusi della Verna is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Arezzo in the Italian region Tuscany, located about east of Florence and about north of Arezzo. It is in the Casentino traditional region.
Chiusi della Verna borders the foll ...
,
Montemignaio
Montemignaio is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Arezzo in the Italian region Tuscany, located about east of Florence and about northwest of Arezzo.
Montemignaio borders the following municipalities: Castel San Niccolò, Pelago, ...
,
Ortignano Raggiolo and
Talla.
The Casentino is mentioned in the song "Ich hab in Penna einen Liebsten wohnen", from the ''Italieniches Liederbuch'' by
Hugo Wolf.
See also
*
Etruscan civilization
The Etruscan civilization () was developed by a people of Etruria in ancient Italy with a common language and culture who formed a federation of city-states. After conquering adjacent lands, its territory covered, at its greatest extent, rou ...
Bibliography
*
Valleys of Italy
Valleys of Tuscany
Geographical, historical and cultural regions of Italy
Province of Arezzo
{{Arezzo-geo-stub