There are places where they coexist, embraced in a single alchemy, elements of history and nature so different and heterogeneous to each other that they are unique and magical: Montececeri Park is among them.
Tuscany is a wonderful land in which a benign and fascinating nature is linked to a past rich in history and art; in a special context of great originality, walking through the streets of the most beautiful art cities, in the corridors of the most fascinating museums and among the paths of unspoiled nature, gives completely special emotions.
A visit to Tuscany not only does not risk boring, but is able to give unexpected surprises and make the stay unique. Florence is a romantic city,steeped in history and steeped in beautiful works of art; its surroundings amaze and sick even the most distracted traveler for the gentle hilly landscapes that are lost in sight.
In the Florentine belt, among the many beauties that can be encountered, the village of Fiesole offers a special combination of exceptional archaeological vestiges, prominent civil and religious architecture and a lush nature.
An excursion outside Florence between the slopes of the Montececeri Poggio, is an opportunity not to be missed and the ideal place to catapult yourself into an alternative dimension just steps from one of the most exclusive areas of our country.
The Poggio of Montececeri
Located in the hilly area northeast of the Tuscan capital, the hill of Montececeri is located on the easternmost edges of the Etruscan wall of the municipality of Fiesole. With its height of 415 meters above sea level, the poge dominates the surrounding area; its total area is about 44 hectares and is a privileged place that encompasses particular naturalistic values from a botanical, zoological and geological point of view.
The close relationship that has always linked the foot to its tradition and its regular visitors, has led the competent authorities to create a portion of public park and since 2001 is a naturalistic historical park with guided paths and with adequate educational information support in support of the numerous visitors.
Small nods to the history of the fiesolano park
The mountain of Montececeri has historically been affected by the mining activity that, since the Etruscan era, has taken place in the numerous quarries of serene stone present in the area. The hill, for a long time, has not only been the site of extraction of raw material used not only for the most valuable Florentine monuments, but also for everyday artifacts and also as a training place for actual craftsmanship.
Over the years they have met here,in a unique embrace, the artistic, social and economic history of Florentine life.
Of the quarries, used at least until the early twentieth century, the mining walls are still visible today.
In our eyes the poggio looks like a large forested area, but this connotation is characteristic only of our times and the result of a vast reforestation work implemented since 1929 and continued in the fifties; originally, in fact, the mountain looked like a barren expanse.
Elements of geology, botany and zoology
The poggio consists mainly of sandstone rock with a typical blue-grey coloration consisting of sand, feldspato clay and quartz. It is, logically, the so-called serene stone of formation almost certainly to be traced back to the Upper Oligocene or Lower Miocene.
The vast rocky area and the limited depth of the soil, has favored the process of botanical repopulation ofthe area that today appears characterized by conifers, oaks and large spaces populated by rovers.
The undergrowth,on the other hand, is characterized by a massive presence of myrtle (particularly in the southern area where it takes on the appearance of a real stain), viburnum, heather and strawberry.
In the northernmost part of the fiesolano park, on the other hand, you can meet numerous chestnut cores; In the most degraded area of the quarries, finally, they found a favorable environment for the spread of red valerian plants and cyst shrubs.
From a zoological point of view, the Montececeri park, finally, the most widespread species are the wild boar, the porcupl, the fox and the squirrel; from a purely ornithological point of view, we find instead the owl, the uppoa, the blackbird and the cuckoo.
A small curiosity concerns the etymology of Montececeri that would like to derive the name from the massive presence in the area, in the past, of swans equipped with an excrement on the beak otherwise called in vulgar Florentine "cece".
Excursions in Montececeri Park
Among the many excursions that you can make on the slopes of Montececeri, one of the most fascinating is undoubtedly the one commonly called the Scalpellini Trail.
The route runs over an average time frame of travel of about one hour and has as its starting point the camp of Arms where the actual trail begins. The route winds, in a lively ups and downs, for some stretches in the woods and then in more open spaces.
The landscape value of the areas crossed is considerable; crossing a vast space consisting of sandstone rocks, you can enjoy a valuable view of the territory. The most curious will be able to observe the numerous inscriptions on rock present during the route; some, older, date back even to the medieval period and would like to refer to an area dedicated to asceticism and hermitage practices; others, however, are newer, but no less original.
Past an area (Pian d'Alta) dedicated to rye cultivation and left behind the rocky ridges of the Fairy Hole, you can quickly reach the hut of the Bandoni place dedicated to stopping and snacking.
The second excursion
Another excursion in the Montececeri Park, no less interesting than the previous one, is known as "Villa Peyron and the Stone Shops". The route starts from Piazza Mino to Fiesole and leads the traveler to discover the quarries and a special naturalistic context with breathtaking views of the not-so-distant city of Florence. On this excursion outside Florence, the real focal points of the route are the place where in 1506 Leonardo da Vinci tested the so-called Flight Machine and the beautiful gardens of Villa Peyron.
Did you already know The Montececeri Park? Maybe it's the first hike you're going to organize after the Coronavirus emergency.
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