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Holiday in Tuscany > Italy travel guide > Tuscany > Arezzo > Valdarno > Valdambra valley |
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Valdambra |  |
Übersetzung in Gang |
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Valdambra valley
Short geographic outlines
Valdambra valley, set in the large green hilly space where last Chianti Mountains lick the Upper Valley of Arno River, is crossed by Ambra River and takes its name from it.Peter Leopold, Grand Duke of Tuscany, defined Valdambra valley as a “ narrow valley but full of homes and very finely worked ”. The rustic buildings, forever linked to the farmland so frequently cut out from the wood in the hills, have been and still are a precious part of Valdambra’s landscape.
Agriculture and colonization of the land have developed since ancient times privileging the fertile plain near Ambra and Scerfio rivers, but also in the hills a few small lots of land have been tilled to be worked as vineyards and olive-groves.
Valdambra valley is placed on the natural confine with Southern Chianti Mountains, right in the centre of the triangle formed by the cities of Arezzo, Florence and Siena. It is a “ micro-district” apart from the historical, geographic and cultural points of view.
Valdambra valley is rich in woods, forests of chestnut-trees, pastures and hills covered by vineyards and olive-groves: there You will discover little hamlets still presenting visible traces of ancient wall boundaries, forts, little castles placed as on a chess-board on picturesque hills, farmhouses and rustic holdings still keeping the country flavour of Tuscan countryside.
 Valdambra road map |
Main centres
The majority of Valdambra’s territory is formed by the Municipality of Bucine Bucine and by its surrounding hamlets (Levane, Pogi, Capannole, Badia Agnano, San Pancrazio, Ambra, Pietraviva, Badia a Ruoti, Sogna, Rapale, Cennina, Montebenichi, Mercatale valdarno, Galatrona, San Leolino). The Municipality of Civitella in Val di Chiana, even though its chief town is placed on the hillside turning toward the Valdichiana valley, maintains a big part of its territory in Valdambra valley.The Municipalities of Montevarchi with Levane hamlet and of Pergine Valdarno with Pieve a Presciano partly come forward on this valley too.
Connections - Roads
As already mentioned, Valdambra valley has been always an interesting and often contented territory for its connections with different valleys. It represents, still today, an area covered by a large number of easy roads.Valdambra valley is wholly crossed by the easy road n.540, connecting it from one side with the road n. °69 of Upper Valdarno Valley (Florence Arezzo) and from the other one with the motorway Perugia-Siena
The road going up to Civitella in Val di Chiana starts from the road n°69, thus representing a direct connection to that valley.
The road going down to Valdichiana valley (Monte S.Savino), too, starts near Capannole and goes up to S.Pancrazio (Monte S. Savino).
A road connecting Valdambra valley to Palazzuolo, where it flows into the road Arezzo-Siena, starts from Ambra.
On the opposite side of the hill, toward Chianti Hills, there are the road going from Bucine up to Mercatale Valdarno and the road going from Ambra up to Cennina.
Tourist itineraries
In Valdambra valley there are many interesting tourist itineraries, easily practicable walking, cycle-riding or horse-riding tours. Here some examples:1 – S. Pancrazio - La Villa - Badia Agnano - Capannole (Km.6,5 approx.)
2 – Cennina - Duddova – S.Martino d’Ambra - Podere Poggialto - Podere Monte di Rota - Cennina (Km.13 approx.): this tour being a circular one , it allows to reach Cennina by car and use it for going back home.
3 - Mercatale - Galatrona - S.Leolino - Cennina (Km.8,5 approx.)
4 - Cennina - Solata - Montebenichi (Km.10 approx.)
5 - Bucine - Pogi - Castiglione Alberta - Capannole (Km.8 approx.)
6 - Sogna - Badia a Ruoti - Podere Molino del Santo - Podere Calcinaia – Poggio all’Olmo - Podere Oppiarono - Sogna (Km.15 approx.): this too is a circular itinerary.
7 - Rapale - Sogna - Badia a Ruoti - Ambra (Km.9 approx.)
Historical Outlines
Relevant ancient populations, such as Etruscans and Romans, peopled this area: numerous remains of ancient roads, bridges, tools etc. are still here to prove it.Valdambra valley was a busy transit way; in Roman age it was crossed by the Road Cassia Adrianea, an obliged transit road traced by the Romans during the Empire as an alternative to the older Cassia Vetus, running along what is now called the Setteponti Road. The Cassia Adrianea Road allowed the transit between Florence, Arezzo, Siena and Chiusi with Valdichiana valley. During the Middle Age Valdambra valley was theatre of important fights because of its position as a border territory between Florence, Arezzo and Siena. For this reason a great number of castles and forts was built in the valley: Bucine, Galatrona, Caposelvi, Torre S.Reparata, Pogi and Rendola, placed since XIIIth century under the rule of Counts Guidi of Modigliana, who in 1255, to face the administration of the territory, established Valdambra as a Viscounty with residence in Bucine or Pogi under the Vicar”podestà” Orlando of the Albergotti and under the protection of the Municipality of Arezzo.
The jurisdiction on the territory was carried out also by the abbeys (Abbey of St.Mary in Agnano and Abbey of St. Mary in Ruoti) and by other religious institutions such as the parish of S.Pietro in Petrolo, S.Quirico in Capannole and S.Maria in Montebenichi.
The family of the Ubertini of Chitignano possessed large estates in the high Valdambra valley (Ambra, Badia a Ruoti, Sogna and Pietraviva); afterwards, the family of the Tarlati with Pier Saccone of Pietramala in 1325 after a fight with the Guidi family took possession of the castle of Bucine.
Always during the Middle Age Valdambra valley was theatre of the fights between Guelphic and Ghibelline cities. The Guelphic city of Florence took advantage of that to start its expansion on the zone: in 1230 it conquered and destroyed the castle of Caposelvi. The Florentine Republic went on the following century conquering the territories of Bucine, Cennina, Galatrona, Torre S.Reparata and Rendola, established with the Treaty of Sarzana in 1353 as a Podesteria of Florentine Valdambra under the Vicariate of S.Giovanni Valdarno.
During the following centuries, after hard fights against Siena and Arezzo with raids and sacks, Florence gradually took possession of the High Valdambra valley too.
The entire valley suffered it and its castles were almost destroyed. Such an impoverishment of the territory remained long time after, also because of the lack of interest for Valdambra under the Medici family’s government, who by that time had extended its dominion on the majority of Tuscany mostly to the damage of Siena. Valdambra was now safe from invasions and destructions but destitute of importance as a strategic and transit junction.
In 1646 Grand Duke Ferdinand established Valdambra as Marquisate of Bucine and handed it over to Giulio Vitelli.
In 1774 Grand Duke Peter Leopold joined it to the Municipality of Bucine and together they remained until the passage under the administration of the actual Municipality.
Economic Outlines: agriculture, forestry, breeding
Since ancient times the economic activities of Valdambra were principally centred on agriculture: cereals, vineyards and olive-groves were the traditional cultivations since Middle Age, accompanied afterwards by the mulberry-tree cultivation; the silkworm breeding increased the activity of a few spinning mills. The breeding, in particular of cattle and swine, represented another important resource.The only local industry, the manufacturing of pottery, was originated by the nature of the land; nowadays the economy of the valley is still partly founded upon agriculture (cereals, wine, oil, sugar-beet, tobacco, fodder, heather) and forestry (wood, acorn and chestnuts); the mountains and hills, rich in woods and natural pastures, allow the breeding of abundant cattle.
Industrial activities
Industrial plants and various handicraft companies operating in the shoe, clothes, glass-making and tobacco fields contributed to repress the emigration from the country.The attention to the natural environment
The environment here is the natural space surrounding every living being, where vegetal and animal life develops; it includes the artificial structures characterizing the places destined to human settling.The modern protection of the environment follows the ancient Medici family’s line: protection of the land and of the buildings, particularly of the mountains, cultivated plains, forests, lakes, rivers, channels, caves and mines; regulation of hunting, fishing and bird-catching; care of hygiene and public health; attention to ecology and to town planning and engineering buildings, all for the benefit of men’s domain.
Tourist reception capacity
From the tourist point of view Valdambra valley offers a warm and familiar, as well as professional hospitality, in a land inhabited by a resident community actively contributing to the keeping of the country scenery with the utmost respect of Tuscan traditions. |
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Valdambra | |
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