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The official tourism website of the Municipality and Metropolitan City of Florence
The official tourism website of the Municipality and Metropolitan City of Florence
The official tourism website of the Municipality and Metropolitan City of Florence
The Sentiero delle Burraie (butter mills path) is located inside the Natural Protected Area of Santa Brigida, in the municipality of Pontassieve.
The walking route features 16 km of elevation profile surrounded by greenery and has a total altitude difference close to 950 m.
It is an interesting trail combining naturalistic aspects with anthropomorphic and social aspects, discovering old mills used until the last century for the production of butter and dairy products. The routes are differentiated for different training levels, from easy and short ones to those for experienced walkers.
However, they all have a common thread: the discovery of butter mills, some beautifully restored, buildings that bear witness to rural life.
The path starts at the cemetery of Santa Brigida, where you can park and where you can find an explanatory sign.
The protected natural area Poggio Ripaghera - Santa Brigida - Valle dell'Inferno stretches for about 800 hectares above the village of Santa Brigida, in the Municipality of Pontassieve area.
A natural area that represents a rare balance between human presence and natural elements, between culture and nature, between men's work and organic processes. With a maximum altitude of 914 metres and a minimum one of 400, the area features several plant and tree species and a substantial amount of wildlife. Inside the area there are many hiking trails that have been guiding for years nature lovers and enthusiasts to the discovery of the peculiarities of this green area.
A place that lends itself to being experienced due to many opportunities, among these a large variety of trails, the presence - unique in Italy - of the Laurino Rockrose or flower of the Madonna floral variety, a rare perennial shrub included in the list of seriously endangered species,and the Madonnadel Sasso Sanctuary complex, one of the most important architectural complexes of the area.
Furthermore the wood is scattered with ancient butter mills, buildings that bear witness to several settlements of the past: the interest for this small legacy of the past has laid the foundation for their restoration and the creation of a pleasant hiking path, the butter mills trail.
Located at 565 metres above sea level, the Sanctuary of Madonna delle Grazie al Sasso represents the main architectural complex of the Santa Brigida Protected Natural Area and one of the most important in the area, especially from a devotional point of view. The features of the place, high on the Borro delle Sieci valley and surrounded by woods, facilitated since ancient times the establishing of cult practices and forms of hermitage. The first proof in this respect would consist of the building, between the 4th and 5th century AD, of a tabernacle, later called of the Hermit.
The construction of the Madonna del Sasso Sanctuary began on July 2 1490 and was completed on several occasions throughout the years before achieving its current appearance, with the arcade overlooking the area in front and the architectural complex divided into upper and lower oratory embellished by a belltower, whose construction dates back to 1510.
A place of worship and pilgrimage, the Sanctuary is also a reference point for many hiking and walking enthusiasts; inside the complex is the Visitor Centre of the Santa Brigida Protected Natural Area.