THINGS NOT TO BE MISSED
Trekking
Discovering the Monte Morello Natural Park through its paths to reach uncontaminated natural sources, such as that of the Ciliegio and that of the Seppi; to the cross of the Prima Punta; in Poggio all'Aia, with its 930 meters. above sea level, the highest peak from which to admire the whole Florentine area and rest from the terrible "rompistinchi", a path famous for its steepness.
Villa of Tavalle
In 1726 the canon Del Rosso accompanied the Archbishop of Florence on a visit to Calenzano: on this occasion he visited the villa and the garden "of the Lord Giulio Rucellai." In Travalle the signs of history are still visible today, including many ancient sources.
Garden of the Villa "Carmine" and Church of San Donato
The Villa was built around 1460 by Carlo de 'Medici, the natural son of Cosimo the Elder. The garden, as in many other Medici residences, was rich in fountains and statues, with flowers and tall trees, an aspect that it still has today. The visit continues with a visit to the ancient parish church of San Donato, whose origin can be traced back to the IX - X century.
Villa Peragallo and Calenzano Castle
The villa and its garden represent the most classic example of "revivalist" eclecticism of our territory. The appearance that the complex presents today is due to the works carried out in the first decade of the twentieth century on the ancient Villa Matilde. The garden is spread over large terraces up to the main road. The route is completed by a visit to the castle of Calenzano, one of the cornerstones of the defense of the territory in medieval times.
Hill and Medieval Towers
The Villa di Collina is the perfect example of a sixteenth-century villa-farm. In which the physical link between villa-farm and environment is perfect in the refined balance between work and leisure, that is, between annexes (agricultural and hunting), parks, woods, fields and villa. The view of the Collina towers completes the day.
Travalle
It crosses a small medieval village consisting of a small church, a manor house and rural houses. There are two access routes: one from the Ponte alla Marina, and the other from Prato following the road to Sesto Fiorentino and turning in the locality of La Querce.
Settimello
The church of Santa Lucia a Settimello is located near the ancient road that leads from Florence to Mugello through the Val di Marina, at the seventh mile from "Florentia", after the towns of Quarto, Quinto and Sesto Fiorentino. It houses three beautiful frescoes such as the Madonna with Child and angels. On the back of the church there is a nymphaeum from the imperial Roman age (I-II century); it is a large octagonal basin and originally decorated with sculptures relating to a villa. In Settimello there is also the Villa Gamba-Ghiselli built in its main nucleus in 1683. Almost in front of the hamlet of Settimello on the top of a hill is the Convent of the Chapels originally owned by the Augustinians and suppressed in 1808 by Napoleon Bonaparte.
Sesto Fiorentino
Sesto Fiorentino is located on the northwest edge of the vast plain between Florence and Prato along the slopes of Monte Morello about 6 km from Florence. The territory of Sesto has been inhabited since ancient times, as evidenced by the numerous Etruscan tombs discovered in the area, among which the Tomba della Mula and the Tomba della Montagnola stand out for their good condition. The area was then colonized by the Romans, to whom the name of the place dates back, corresponding to the milestone that marked the sixth mile from Florence on the Via Cassia. onservation, In 1736 the Porcelain Manufactory of Doccia was born by the Marquis Carlo Ginori, still today it is the city of ceramics where in the streets of the town often adorned with porcelain objects you can meet numerous artistic workshops of artisans. In the center of Sesto, in addition to the suggestive Palazzo Pretorio adorned with numerous coats of arms, there is the Pieve di San Martino with a Romanesque structure with three naves and a seventeenth-century portico. Also Romanesque, the parish church of S. Andrea in Cercina. Of considerable interest is also the sixteenth-century Villa Corsi Salviati in whose Italian garden events and shows take place. In Sesto there is the Doccia porcelain museum which documents the history of the production of the Ginori Manufacture up to the merger with Richard in 1896 and beyond, with a collection of the most representative specimens, a library, archive and photo library.
Colonnade
Colonnata is a fraction of the Municipality of Sesto Fiorentino, it is the seat of the Unione Operaia club, born as an after-work for the employees of the Doccia Factory and which today houses the famous art gallery "The attic". From it you can access the bridge to Love . Church of San Romolo in Colonnata (13th century).
The nearby cities, Florence and Prato
In addition to the car you have other possibilities to reach Florence:
By Bus: from Calenzano ATAF line n. 2 from via Vittorio Emanuele arrives directly in the center of Florence at the Central Station, from which any walking itinerary you wish to take to visit the city starts.
Via Train with the State Railways: From the Sesto Fiorentino station a train leaves every 30 minutes for Florence Santa Maria Novella, which is the central station of Florence. Buses such as the Sita also leave from the Florence station and can also take you to the heart of Chianti and Siena.
Museums
Once in Florence you cannot miss the opportunity to visit some of the most important museums in the world such as the Uffizi, the Accademia Gallery, the Bargello ... www.firenzemusei.it; while in Prato you can visit the textile museum.
Visits to the Neto Park
Where you can admire millenary, rare swamp cypresses, Canadian poplars and its ponds crowded with animals and birds.
Visits to the Botanical Area of ​​Quercia Mencola in Calenzano
In the months of April, May, June, July, September and October, guided tours of groups or school groups can be organized by appointment. For information and reservations contact the Assieme association - Via Puccini, 79 - Calenzano - tel. 055-8826655.
In the locality of Legri, where among other things, forty species of orchids can be admired.
Calenzano and surroundings
Calenzano rises at the foot of the ancient medieval village, in the place where the Val di Marina opens onto the plain that extends from Florence to Prato and Pistoia, 8 kilometers from Florence and 6 from Prato. The municipal territory includes a large hilly area, which rises towards the slopes of Monte Morello, the Apennines and the Calvana mountains. The former rich in woods and streams, the latter limestone and barren, dug by caves of great speleological interest. The territory, once an exclusive peasant vocation, today hosts active industrial and artisan settlements. Among the still flourishing crops there is that of the olive tree, whose fruits, processed with the methods of the past, give an oil among the most appreciated in the area (including the oil of Poggio alla Pieve).
In ancient times this territory was disputed between Ligurians and Etruscans, who were replaced by the Romans. In the early Middle Ages, parish churches were built on what remained of the Roman buildings, the first socio-economic organization after the dissolution of the Roman Empire: San Donato, Santa Maria a Carraia, San Severo a Legri, Poggio alla Pieve. To the parish churches, starting from the end of the 11th century. towers and castles flanked, symbols of a new aggressive and unscrupulous feudal aristocracy: the castle of Calenzano, in particular, was one of the cornerstones of the Florentine defense of the countryside and was at the center of a system of fortifications, still visible today, which protected the accesses to the Florentine territory.
In the sec. XII / XIII of Calenzano became the domain of the republic of Florence; in 1352 the Florentines rebuilt and fortified the village of Calenzano. Seat of a league of the Florentine countryside, in the fifteenth century it experienced prosperity. The military role gradually diminished over time, and the territory manifested a primary agricultural vocation: the production of wheat was at the origin of the rise, especially in the seventeenth century, of many mills. The future of Calenzano, however, was in the industry: after the birth, at the beginning of the twentieth century, of a cement factory, a rare example of Art Nouveau style, from the sixties the municipality of Calenzano was the protagonist of a dazzling entrepreneurial development.
Medieval village of Calenzano Alto and San Donato
The two ancient complexes of the medieval village of Calenzano Alto and San Donato dominate the capital. The surrounding area is full of ancient farms, villas and churches. A curiosity: in Calenzano there is the Museum of the Toy Soldier and the Historical Figurine (Via Roma 16, c / o ATC headquarters tel. 055 8824512).
The surroundings of Calenzano are all to be discovered, from the Calvana mountains, barren and dotted with karst caves, to the Val di Marina, a hilly area partly cultivated and partly wooded in which delightful villages such as Travalle and Legri stand out. The area includes several very suggestive itineraries to follow on foot, on horseback or by mountain bike.
Monte Morello Park
The hilly and mountain complex of Monte Morello that houses our village, is located in the North West of Florence and affects the Municipalities of Sesto Fiorentino, Calenzano, Florence and Vaglia. It is bordered to the west by the Val di Marina, at the foot of Mount Calvana, and to the east by the Mugnone valley, at the foot of the Fiesole hill. The highest peaks are Poggio all'Aia (934 m), Poggio Casaccia (921 m), Poggio Cornacchiaccia (892 m), Poggio Trini (763 m), Poggio al Giro (747 m) and Monte Rotondo (708 m). The territory of Monte Morello presents a remarkable landscape and environmental interest, for its position, for the value and breadth of the wooded heritage, for the water resources, for the presence of numerous historical testimonies and works of artistic value.
Travalle territorial park
The territorial planning of the Municipality has identified the areas of Travalle and Carpugnane, as important areas with a strong naturalistic, landscape and agricultural vocation.
Park of the Piana
It is located within the protected area of ​​the Sesto Fiorentino plain (25 hectares), one of the largest wetlands in Tuscany. Birdwatching days are organized in the spring season.
Fairs of typical products and festivals of the country
Oil Festival
Medieval Carnival (February)
Tuscany Fair (April)
Spring festival at Parco del Neto (May)
Vintage motorcycle rally (July)
Arena Cinema (July / August)
Medieval Festivals (September)
Horse Festival (September)
Grape Festival (September)
Oil Fair (November)
New Year's concert
