What to find
Wonderful trecking or biker trails will lead you to discover these enchanted places, from the centuries-old chestnut groves, to the stupendous beech forests…and then the oaks, fir pine forests, hornbeams and maples, lindens, elms and hollies. An extraordinary variety of mountain vegetation, rich in tree species, which is usually very rare in the Apennines and its relict presence is of considerable naturalistic interest.
During the warm season, there are a variety of trails, many of which are also suitable to be undertaken by families with children in tow.
During the end of June, you may notice and be impressed by the sparkling blooms of the brooms that fill the landscape with deep yellow and sweet scents to intoxicate the senses.
In the fall period, the colors change from green to red, orange and yellow painting scenery of the highest order. Mushroom and chestnut picking are typical activities of the area with the possibility of being accompanied and guided by experts who, in complete safety, will help you discover the forest and spend enchanting days in the open air.
The winter season substantially transforms the area from the bright autumn colors to the snowy white. In the municipality of Tredozio, given its altitude that goes from 350 asl to over 1000 asl in the surrounding mountains, it can also fall copiously exceeding one meter with ease offering unique images to be immortalized. Temperatures can drop several degrees below freezing but, on sunny days, be prepared even to take off your jacket letting the rays caress you and be enraptured by the clear blue sky. In these conditions, soft coats, can offer you the opportunity to snowshoe with friends in both flat and high mountain areas, in the latter case always paying attention to weather conditions that can change abruptly at altitude.
Locanda Guelfo will always be ready and waiting for you for a well-deserved pampering stay among unique and breathtaking landscapes.
History
The history of this territory begins in ancient times, with the first Etruscan settlements that found in the “Lake of the Idols” the most important site in the Tuscan-Romagna Apennines (at the foot of Mount Falterona) where to worship their deities. The Casentino Forests have been a well-known area since the Middle Ages, when Tuscan peoples used the precious wood from these forests for numerous activities, such as the Opera del Duomo in Florence and others. In the course of time, a secular body that managed these forests used the timber for the construction of various buildings including Brunelleschi’s Dome while the Grand Duchy of Tuscany employed the huge white firs obtained from these mountains to build the masts of the naval fleets of Pisa and Livorno.
Especially important for these places and the preservation of the Forests were the monastic settlements of St. Romuald at Camaldoli since 1012 and St. Francis of Assisi at La Verna in 1213.
From a naturalistic point of view, about 80 percent of the territory is wooded: the protected area represents one of the most valuable forests in Europe, the heart of which is the Casentino State Forests within which is the Sasso Fratino Integral Nature Reserve, the first to be established in Italy in 1959 and several times awarded the European Diploma.
