The forest
The thousand-year-old green mantle
To the visitor who reaches these places, going up the steep and wild valleys of the upper Romagna, or the course of the Arno river along the historical and rich art of the Casentino valley, or the imposing valley of the Falterona torrent in the Florentine side, the National Park of the Casentino Forest offers the opportunity to discover one of the oldest forests in Europe. Massive forests, rich in mixed vegetation, cover almost the entire territory of the Park, to the point that it could be crossed in all its extension without ever leaving the luxuriant and thriving green mantle that surrounds it.
Thousand-year old forests, witnessing the continuous evolution of nature and impregnated with history, where the relationship with mankind has distant roots in time and is well documented since 1012, when San Romualdo created the Order of Camaldolese Monks, who for centuries would be custodians and administrators of this heritage. These lush forests gave positive livelihoods and shelter to many small and large communities, providing precious timber for the scaffolding of monumental works such as the gigantic Duomo of Florence, or long and straight beams to build the ships of Pisa’s fleet.
Forests fascinating in their colours, with all the shades of green that in autumn explode into suggestive spots of amber and reddish colour; filled with silent meditations that can become surprising noises in just a second, giving the opportunity for memorable sightings and encounters.
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