📍 Distance from Cà del Bocca: about 48 km, 1 hour by car
⏱️ Time needed: a full day
🗺️ Where: Tuscany, Casentino valley, at the gates of the Foreste Casentinesi National Park
The Casentino is the valley where the Arno river rises: a land of castles, Romanesque churches, stone villages and ancient forests. Its symbol is Poppi, a hilltop village dominated by the Conti Guidi castle, one of the best-preserved medieval castles in Tuscany. Dante also passed through here and recalled these places in the Divine Comedy.
What to see in Poppi and the Casentino
- The Conti Guidi Castle in Poppi, with its courtyard, great hall, frescoed chapel and the rich Rilliana Library.
- The village of Poppi, with its arcades and the view over the plain of Campaldino, site of the 1289 battle.
- The Pieve di Romena and Romena Castle, Romanesque gems near Pratovecchio.
- Stia and the Wool Art Museum, telling the story of the famous panno casentino cloth.
- The Foreste Casentinesi National Park, with trails for everyone, to combine with Camaldoli and La Verna.
How to get there from Cà del Bocca
The Casentino is about an hour away, crossing the hills between the Tiber and Arno valleys. Our Google map shows the route and the most beautiful places in the valley.
Tips for your visit
- Give the Casentino a full day: Poppi castle in the morning, a traditional lunch and Romena or Camaldoli in the afternoon.
- Try the potato tortelli and the Casentino ham.
- Castle opening times vary with the season: check before you go.
Stay at Cà del Bocca, an hour from the Casentino
Two self-contained apartments in the countryside of Anghiari, the ideal base for exploring Tuscany and Umbria.
