Mugello

On this easy bike tour we'll cycle through the heart of the scenic Mugello region, taking our time to stop and visit the castles that dot its picturesque countryside, a patchwork of cultivated fields, cypresses and church bell towers.
During the ride we'll visit:

The ancient fortified town of SCARPERIA, founded in 1306 by the Florentine Republic in order to better control and defend the viability from Florence to the North. Encircled by walls, equipped with Guelph battlements and square flanking towers, the castle soon became the most important of the region. Here you can enjoy a very interesting guided tour inside the core of the stronghold, the famous Palazzo dei Vicari and its Museum of Knives and Cutting Tools.

The imposing CAFAGGIOLO CASTLE, one of the greatest masterpieces of the renaissance architecture. It was realized by the famous architect Michelozzo over a preexistent structure. It was Cosimo il Vecchio who gave assignement to Michelozzo to transform the ancient fortification into a residential building. Within its walls the members of the Medici family spent a lot of time accomodating important men and artists. In the wide halls and the immense park have been entertainment, dance parties, receptions for princes and popes. Here you can enjoy a guided tour inside the castle, too.

The TREBBIO CASTLE, perched on a panoramic hilltop amongst cypress trees. It was designed by Michelozzo on Cosimo de Medici's request and built in the years from 1427 to 1436 on the site of a former medieval castle at the intersection of ancient important communication routes (the name Trebbio derives from the roman word trivium, that means intersection of three roads). Together with Cafaggiolo Castle, it became one of the favourite holiday and hunting resorts of the Medici family.

The Sant Agata RURAL AND ARTISAN LIFE EXHIBITION WITH SELF MOVING FIGURES, a very original little museum that reproduces rural and artisan life in the village of Sant Agata as it was right after World War II. All the characters are made on a frame of wood, inside which motors from scrap have been fitted in, then covered in papier mache' and dressed in clothes made of material according to the fashion of that time.

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Travel & Events

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• Mugello