Along the Arno river, by bike, in the Empolese Valdelsa land
Once you get out of Florence the river Arno, in its race towards the sea, brushes the municipalities of Montelupo Fiorentino, Capraia e Limite, Empoli, Vinci, Cerreto Guidi and Fucecchio. We are in the territory of the Ambito Empolese Valdelsa.
The whole course of the river is flanked by the Arno cycle path, a bike route that in the future will be accessible from the source on Mount Falterona as far as the mouth, in Marina di Pisa, and that offers for the moment, in this area, the chance to pedal from Montelupo Fiorentino to Empoli for about 10 km.
Here you connect to the urban cycling network, and then continue in the direction of Pisa as far as the municipality of San Miniato.
The trail, mostly on dirt road, is even and easy to follow, perfect for a family bike ride.
Along the route, interspersed with small rest areas, you can enjoy glimpses of the Arno river, the countryside and, further away, the Montalbano reliefs.
From Montelupo Fiorentino you can then opt for the 15 km of the cycle paths that run along the Arno as far as Empoli, and the Pesa river to the Roman Villa of Vergigno.
A stop in Montelupo to see the Villa dell’Ambrogiana, a Medici villa that is part of the UNESCO-protected sites; the 14-th century Frescobaldi tower, the Archaeological Museum and the Ceramics Museum, given that Montelupo is a city of ceramics, with an ancient and illustrious tradition. Between the Arno river and the Medici Villa the Ambrogiana Park stretches for 8000 sqm. It is one of the green areas and parks that are found right along the course of the river.
Another full immersion into nature awaits you at the Arnovecchio oasis, just outside Empoli, an environment that is home to several types of plants and numerous animal species. A meander of the Arno river that originally used to flow here was rectified in the 16-th century at the behest of Grand Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici. Later the area, where now lies a small lake, was used as a quarry for the production of gravel, helping to modify what is today a patchwork of different environments. You can visit the oasis following a nature trail featuring four spots equipped for the observation of wildlife and plants thanks to information panels for children and visually impaired persons.
Still on the subject of the use of the Arno river, it is recommended to take a leap from nature to history in the rowing museum Museo Remiero di Limite that is housed in the seat of the Società Canottieri Limite rowing club, the oldest in Italy, founded in 1861.
This small but interesting museum, created in a location that is famous for leasure shipbuilding, tells of the history and the wealth of knowledge related to construction and rowing that have been handed down for centuries by the boaters from Limite, who sailed the Arno river to carry goods between Florence and Pisa.
Etapas
Archaelogy Museum of Montelupo
Occupying premises in the Santi Quirico e Lucia complexin the park of Villa Medicea Ambrogiana, the museum has chronologically arranged exhibits of archaeological finds from the Montelupo area: toolsin obsidian and earthenwarefrom prehistoric and protohistoric times; Etruscan bronzes and ceramics; materials from two large Roman villas in the area; and domestic items from the Early Middle Ages. There is also an educational section about the prehistoric period.
The museum can only be visited by appointment.
Arnovecchio
The Arnovecchio area, located in an eroded riverbed of the Arno that was corrected during the 16th century, was marked in more recent times by extraction activities for the production of gravel, lasting about forty years, which led to the formation of some lake basins.
It is currently ditinguished by a patchwork of different environments that, although artificially formed, have seen a spontaneous process of naturalization due to the gradual abandonment of the production activities; the quarries in particular have been colonised by many animal and plant species.
Created in the part owned by the Municipality (the former Pierucci quarry) is a nature trail equipped with facilities which aid in observing wild plants and animals and designed for full accessibility even for persons with walking difficulties or visually impaired: in addition to four wildlife observatories there are in fact information boards and tactile panels with embossed environments, plants and animals and texts in Braille format.
Parco dell'Ambrogiana
Situato accanto all’omonima Villa Medicea, questo parco di oltre 8.000 metri quadrati è particolarmente adatto per una passeggiata all’aria aperta.
Rowing museum of Limite sull'Arno
Limite sull'Arno, a river port on the river of the same name, is home to the oldest rowing club in Italy, founded in 1861, and numerous shipyards: an activity, the latter, that has its origins in the late 17th century.
It is precisely at the Società Canottieri Limite 1861 that the museum is housed, where it is possible to retrace the long history of shipbuilding in this locality through documents, period photos, scale models of boats and tools of the trade.
