Pratovecchio Stia
Pratovecchio Stia is a municipality in the province of Arezzo, Tuscany, formed in 2014 from the merger of Pratovecchio and Stia
Updated 21 July 2026
This season · July · Summer
What to do in Pratovecchio Stia now
The story
The story of Pratovecchio Stia
Introduction and location
Pratovecchio Stia lies in the province of Arezzo, within the Casentino, the valley that follows the upper Arno before the river flows down toward Florence. Formed by the administrative union of two historic villages, the municipality stretches between the valley floor and the first Apennine slopes, on the border between cultivated lowland and mountain forest. Far from the coast and major cities, the area was for centuries a crossroads of roads, mills, and trade linked to wool and timber, and it still keeps a rural, mountain identity visible in its landscape and daily life.
History and origins
The origins of Pratovecchio and Stia date back to the Middle Ages, when the Casentino was controlled by the Guidi counts, a powerful feudal family who built castles and fortifications here to guard the routes toward Romagna. Pratovecchio was the birthplace, in 1397, of the painter Paolo Uccello, a key figure of the early Florentine Renaissance. Stia, which grew around its main square and the mills along the Arno, instead developed a manufacturing vocation tied to wool processing, which became the area's defining economic trait in later centuries, up to the administrative merger of the two towns in 2014.
Nature and landscape
The municipal territory borders the Casentino Forests, Monte Falterona and Campigna National Park, a protected area known for its vast centuries-old beech and fir forests and wildlife including deer, roe deer, and wolves. On Monte Falterona itself, within the municipality, lie the springs that give rise to the Arno, the river that later flows across the whole of Tuscany. The landscape alternates mountain woodland, pastures, and small stone villages, offering trekking routes, mountain-biking trails, and nature excursions suited to different levels of experience, with fresh air and a quiet that contrasts with the crowds of coastal destinations.
Things to do and see
In the center of Pratovecchio stands the Castello di Romena, a Guidi family stronghold also linked to Dante's Divine Comedy, next to the Romanesque parish church of the same name. Nearby rises the Castello di Porciano, another castle of the same family, now home to a small museum. In the Stia district, life centers on the main square, the historic heart of the village, where wool mills once drove the local economy. Exploring both parts of the municipality means alternating castle visits, short walks in the nearby woods, and stops in the Casentino's stone villages.
Flavors and traditions
Stia has long been tied to wool processing, evidenced by its historic wool mill and by the Casentino cloth, a rough, colorful fabric, often orange or green with distinctive small knots, that once clothed generations of mountain dwellers and is still produced and valued today. This craft heritage is also told in a museum dedicated to the art of wool. On the table, the local cuisine reflects the Casentino's mountain traditions: mushrooms and chestnuts gathered in the nearby woods, cured meats, mountain-pasture cheeses, and simple dishes built on pulses and grains, suited to the cold of the mountain seasons.
Not to be missed
- Castello di Romena, a Guidi family stronghold linked to Dante
- Pieve di Romena, the Romanesque church beside the castle
- Castello di Porciano, a medieval castle with a small museum
- Museo dell'Arte della Lana in Stia, dedicated to the wool-weaving tradition
- The Arno's springs on Monte Falterona, within the Casentino Forests National Park
To see
What to see in Pratovecchio Stia
Routes · Trovido Route
