Mugello
Mugello is the broad hilly basin north of Florence, crossed by the Sieve river and framed by the ridges of the Tuscan-Romagna Apen...
Updated 20 July 2026
Mugello
Towns in the area
Discover the territoriesThis season · July · Summer
What to do in Mugello now
The story
The story of Mugello
Geography and Territory
Mugello lies in the northern part of the Metropolitan City of Florence, a broad sub-Apennine basin shaped by the Sieve river and its tributaries, which later flows into the Arno. The area includes the municipalities of Borgo San Lorenzo, Barberino di Mugello, Scarperia e San Piero, Vicchio, Dicomano, San Godenzo, Firenzuola, Marradi and Palazzuolo sul Senio, spread between the cultivated valley floor and the ridges of the Tuscan-Romagna Apennines, which mark the border with Emilia-Romagna. Historic passes such as Passo della Futa and Passo del Giogo have long connected Tuscany to the Po Valley, while the artificial Lake Bilancino, near Barberino, is today a reference point for leisure and water management along the Sieve.
History and Identity
A crossroads between Florence and Romagna since Etruscan and Roman times, Mugello was the ancestral homeland of the Medici family, who owned castles and villas here before rising to power in Florence: the Castello del Trebbio and Villa di Cafaggiolo, in Barberino di Mugello, are linked to the early Medici and are today part of the UNESCO-listed Medici Villas and Gardens. The area was the birthplace of figures such as Giotto, born in Vespignano di Vicchio, and Fra Angelico, and in the twentieth century it was marked by the 1919 earthquake and by the events of the Gothic Line during the Second World War, still recalled by sites such as the Futa German War Cemetery.
Landscape and Nature
Mugello's landscape alternates hillsides planted with olives, vines and crops along the valley floor with chestnut and beech woods rising toward the Apennine ridges. To the east, the municipality of San Godenzo lies within the Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona e Campigna National Park: here, on Monte Falterona, the Arno river is born, and nearby the Acquacheta waterfall, made famous by Dante in the Divine Comedy, drops through the forest. Lake Bilancino, meanwhile, provides a freshwater setting for outdoor activities, while the whole area is criss-crossed by hiking trails and scenic roads linking the villages to the wilder mountain areas.
Villages and Places to See
Borgo San Lorenzo, the main town of Mugello, preserves the Romanesque parish church of San Lorenzo with its well-known spiral bell tower and is home to the historic Fornace Chini, linked to Art Nouveau ceramic production. Scarperia, dominated by the Palazzo dei Vicari, has been known for centuries for its knife-making craft, still visible in the workshops of its old center. Vicchio, birthplace of Giotto and Fra Angelico, overlooks the Mugello countryside, while San Piero a Sieve is home to the Bosco ai Frati convent. Marradi, across the Apennines toward Romagna, is linked to the poet Dino Campana, and Palazzuolo sul Senio is listed among Italy's Most Beautiful Villages.
Food, Wine and Traditions
Mugello's cuisine reflects its rural, mountain character: among its best-known products is the Marrone di Marradi IGP chestnut, celebrated every autumn at the town's Chestnut Festival, alongside mushrooms, cheeses such as raviggiolo and locally made cured meats. Craft traditions intertwine with gastronomy, from Scarperia's knife-making to Borgo San Lorenzo's ceramics. Numerous village festivals, markets and seasonal celebrations punctuate the year across the different municipalities, offering visitors a close-up look at the products and trades that have shaped Mugello's identity for centuries.
Not to be missed
- Mugello International Circuit, between Scarperia and Borgo San Lorenzo
- Palazzo dei Vicari and the Knife Museum in Scarperia
- Villa di Cafaggiolo and Castello del Trebbio in Barberino di Mugello
- Lake Bilancino
- Acquacheta Waterfall and the Casentinesi Forests National Park in San Godenzo
To see
What to see in Mugello
Routes · Trovido Route
Routes in Mugello
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