Casentino valley is rich of history, arts and culture. During the Medieval Age all the valley was under domination of Guidi's Family.
We suggest to people spending holidays in Casentino Valley, to dedicate at least two days visiting medieval castles starting from Romena in front of our structure. Today it is private building, but in the past it belonged to the Guidis.
Palagio Fiorentino castle in Stia is seat of exibitions and other cultural initiatives on summer. In the early years of XIX century, Carlo Beni restored the castle and built the ornithologic museum. Today is also the seat of the museum of contemporary art thanks to an american collectionist donation. Nearby Stia there are also Porciano and Papiano castles.
Poppi is another castle owned by Guidis. It maintains the better state of an ancient house, placed in a suggestive and central position of the Casentino valley, in one of the most beatiful medieval villages of Italy. Your have absolutely to visit the internal courtyard, the frescos in the big saloon at the first floor, the eccentric column, and Taddeo Gaddi's frescos, a cadet of Giotto, in the castle chapel. On summer it begins center of exibitions and many cultural events such as the marvellous fireworks show that usually takes place on the third Saturday in July during the feast of twinning.
Closed to Ponte a Poppi, in direction to Florence, there is Strada in Casentino town, overlooked by San Niccolè castle. This one even maintains both an ancient manior-house and a medieval charme thanks to the original medieval village closed to the castle. From Strada in Casentino your can arrive to Florence passing by Borgo alla Collina following statal street 69 or psasing by Montemignaio where you may see visit the ruins of medieval city walls.