Le celle dei monaci al Sacro Eremo di Camaldoli
Photo: Anna.Massini, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

📍 Distance from Cà del Bocca: about 55 km, 1 hour 5 minutes by car

⏱️ Time needed: half a day (a full day with the Casentino)

🗺️ Where: Tuscany, in the heart of the Foreste Casentinesi National Park

Camaldoli is a place of peace in the heart of the Casentino Forests, founded in the early eleventh century by St Romuald. It has two parts: the Monastery, lower down, and the Holy Hermitage (Sacro Eremo), higher up in the forest, with the monks’ small cells. For almost a thousand years the Camaldolese monks have looked after these ancient fir forests.

What to see at Camaldoli

  • The Camaldoli Monastery, with its church and the monks’ Old Pharmacy, where liqueurs, herbal teas and herbal products are still sold today.
  • The Holy Hermitage, with its Baroque church and the cells where the monks live in solitude, including St Romuald’s.
  • The surrounding forests, with trails suitable for everyone and monumental trees.
Prato e foresta intorno all’Eremo di Camaldoli
The forest around the Hermitage. Photo: Anna.Massini, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A walk in the forest

From the Monastery, CAI trail 72 climbs through the beech and fir forest to the Rifugio Cotozzo, a small stone hut from 1975 where you can stop for a rest. From here CAI trail 70 goes past Prato ai Meli and down to the Fonte della Duchessa, a spring with a little stone wall, as far as the road to Camaldoli.

The route is well marked and not technically difficult, but fairly long: bring water, hiking shoes and something to eat. In the forest you will also find shady meadows by the stream, perfect for a picnic.

The Rifugio Cotozzo, a resting point for hikers – Camaldoli, Casentino
The Rifugio Cotozzo, a resting point for hikers. Photo: Appartamenti Cà del Bocca

Our photos of Camaldoli

The ancient buildings of the Camaldoli Monastery among the trees – Camaldoli, Casentino
The ancient buildings of the Camaldoli Monastery among the trees.
The beech and fir forest around Camaldoli – Camaldoli, Casentino
The beech and fir forest around Camaldoli.
Centuries-old fir trees seen from below – Camaldoli, Casentino
Centuries-old fir trees seen from below.
A young silver fir against the trunk of an ancient tree – Camaldoli, Casentino
A young silver fir against the trunk of an ancient tree.
The Fonte della Duchessa spring, along the forest trail – Camaldoli, Casentino
The Fonte della Duchessa spring, along the forest trail.
Walking towards the Rifugio Cotozzo hut – Camaldoli, Casentino
Walking towards the Rifugio Cotozzo hut.
The 1975 plaque of the Rifugio Cotozzo hut – Camaldoli, Casentino
The 1975 plaque of the Rifugio Cotozzo hut.
The meadow by the stream, perfect for a picnic – Camaldoli, Casentino
The meadow by the stream, perfect for a picnic.

How to get there from Cà del Bocca

Camaldoli is about an hour away through the Casentino. Our Google map shows the route and the sights.

Tips for your visit

  • Visit the Monastery first, then go up to the Hermitage (about 3 km), by car or on foot along the forest trail.
  • Respect the silence: the Hermitage is a place of prayer.
  • Combine Camaldoli with Poppi and the Casentino for a full day.

Stay at Cà del Bocca, an hour from Camaldoli

Two self-contained apartments in the countryside of Anghiari, the ideal base for exploring Tuscany and Umbria.

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