Casentino
Casentino is the wide upper Arno valley in the province of Arezzo, enclosed between the Pratomagno ridge and the Tuscan-Romagna Ap...
Updated 20 July 2026
Casentino
Towns in the area
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The story
The story of Casentino
Geography and location in Tuscany
Casentino occupies the upper valley of the Arno river, in the north-eastern part of the province of Arezzo, bordering Emilia-Romagna and Umbria. The valley is enclosed to the west by the Pratomagno massif and to the north-east by the Apennine ridges of Falterona, Camaldoli and Alpe di Serra, where the Arno rises before flowing down towards Arezzo and Florence. The territory comprises around ten municipalities, including Poppi, Bibbiena, Pratovecchio Stia, Castel San Niccolò, Chiusi della Verna and Subbiano, spread between the cultivated valley floor and the forested mountain slopes. This basin-like shape, open only southward along the Arno, has kept Casentino a relatively secluded and well-preserved area for centuries.
History and identity
Throughout the Middle Ages Casentino was the fiefdom of the Guidi counts, who from the castle of Poppi controlled the valley and its Apennine passes toward Romagna. On the plain of Campaldino, near Poppi, in 1289 the militias of Florence and Arezzo clashed, a battle in which the young Dante Alighieri fought as a knight and would later recall Casentino in the Divine Comedy. Alongside feudal power, the valley was shaped by monastic presence: in 1012 Saint Romuald founded the hermitage of Camaldoli, and in 1213 Count Orlando Cattani donated Mount La Verna to Saint Francis, who received the stigmata there in 1224. This dual legacy, of warfare and spirituality, remains the defining trait of Casentino's identity.
Landscape and nature
Much of the Apennine side of Casentino, together with the Camaldoli and La Verna ridges, lies within the Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona e Campigna National Park, established to protect one of Italy's largest and best-preserved forests, with centuries-old beech and silver fir woods. The Arno river rises on the slopes of Monte Falterona and crosses the valley, gathering the waters of streams flowing down from the Pratomagno and the Apennines. The valley floor alternates cultivated fields and small rural hamlets, while at higher elevations the landscape grows wilder, with beech woods and clearings home to rich wildlife, including the Apennine wolf. Hiking trails and pilgrimage routes, such as the Via di Francesco, cross the territory.
Towns and places to see
Poppi overlooks the valley from its Guidi counts' castle, with its celebrated arcaded courtyard and Renaissance library, and preserves one of Casentino's most striking porticoed old towns. Bibbiena, the largest town, has a medieval layout with alleys, churches and palaces. Pratovecchio Stia combines the castle of Romena, mentioned by Dante, with Stia, home to the Museo dell'Arte della Lana. Castel San Niccolò preserves the Guidi counts' fortress and hamlets such as Strada in Casentino. Chiusi della Verna is home to the Sanctuary of La Verna, a Franciscan pilgrimage site set within the forest. Subbiano, in the lower valley along the Arno, marks the southern gateway to Casentino.
Food, wine and traditions
Casentino cuisine reflects the Tuscan mountains, built on simple products and bold flavours. The marrone del Casentino, a chestnut variety grown on the Apennine slopes, is the basis for flours, sweets and traditional dishes tied to the autumn harvest custom. Potato tortelli alla lastra, cooked on a sandstone slab, and porcini mushrooms gathered in the beech woods are among the valley's signature dishes, served alongside local cured meats and cheeses. Traditional craftsmanship also endures: the panno Casentino, the distinctive curly orange or green wool cloth originally made for woodcutters' work clothes, is still produced in Stia, where it was created over a century ago at the local wool mill.
Not to be missed
- The Guidi counts' castle in Poppi, with its arcaded courtyard and Renaissance library
- The Sanctuary of La Verna in Chiusi della Verna, where Saint Francis received the stigmata
- The hermitage and monastery of Camaldoli, founded by Saint Romuald in 1012
- The castle of Romena in Pratovecchio Stia, mentioned by Dante in the Divine Comedy
- The Museo dell'Arte della Lana in Stia, in the historic Casentino wool cloth mill
To see
What to see in Casentino
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Routes in Casentino
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