| The
Sieve joins the River Arno at
Pontassieve, flowing from a valley that
extends into the hills abutting the Mugello area, towards the Apennines.
The Chianti Rùfina DOCG and Pomino DOC wine zones are located here, and
the "wine roads" of Chianti Rufina and Pomino run up the
valley, with excellent wineries to be found from Pontassieve to Pelago,
Rùfina, Londa and Dicomano. Florence is just a few
km. away and easy to reach.
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The bridge known as Ponte della Sieve (1555), mainly of brick,
from which Pontassieve derives its name, crosses the Arno, carrying the old road connecting Florence to the
Mugello, the
Casentino
and Valdarno towards
Arezzo. It has been destroyed and rebuilt more times,
most recently during WW II when Pontassieve, an important railway
junction, was heavily bombed. The town of Pelago lies between the rivers Sieve and Arno. An "On The Road Festival" takes place in the city centre every year in July - a multicultural event with buskers, musicians and artists of every kind. For more than a century, the town of Rùfina has been linked with the homonymous Chianti wine and Villa Poggio Reale (16 C) houses an interesting Wine Museum. In Londa a deep scent of ripe peaches alternates with the scent of wine in September, during the harvest. The famous peach, called Autumn Queen, has been cultivated here for more than fifty years. The Festival in September takes place every year, with games, shows and events dedicated to this peach. Dicomano has always been an important road junction: from the main square different roads lead to Florence, the Casentino and Romagna. San Godenzo lies in the middle of the Casentino Woods Nature Park, between Mount Falterona and Mount Campigna. Dozens of paths have been created for trekking and mountain bike excursions. The Acquacheta waterfalls are accessible, as well as the Mount Falterona, which the Etruscans believed to be the father of the river Arno. |
