Vaglia, a green heart

All around Florence! Let’s explore the vast municipal area of Vaglia, which acts as a link between Florence and the Mugello valley – the foothills facing the Apennines. Vaglia lies at the heart of a region consisting mainly of woods and forests, a place chosen in centuries gone by as a retreat from the world, albeit for different reasons: either for religious purposes or for leisure.

What to see in Vaglia

Vaglia is a small town with good transport links to Florence, and a few reminders of its ancient past, such as the parish church of San Pietro. It is surrounded by a landscape ranging from hilly to mountainous, with a number of places boasting a long and fascinating history, just waiting to be told. If you choose Vaglia, you are choosing a green, peaceful area where nature remains unspoilt: the woods and hills are criss-crossed by paths to explore by bike or on foot, and several major regional walking routes pass through here.
Here you can also enjoy forest therapy, which is practised in the Monte Senario forest.

In short, a visit to some of the places within the municipality offers unforgettable experiences.

Places with a (good) history: Pratolino, Bivigliano and Monte Senario

Pratolino is a hamlet of Vaglia, home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site: the Medici Park of Pratolino. Everything here is on an XL scale: this gigantic garden of delights, passionately commissioned by Grand Duke Francesco I de’ Medici alongside the villa (which has since been destroyed), remains a stunning witness to Medici splendour. Its symbol is Giambologna’s statue of the Apennines (a giant, as the sculpture suggests), the most famous of the park’s artistic features, but the park also boasts a remarkable forest of silver firs, oaks, beeches, plane trees and lime trees, as well as vast expanses of lawn, perfect for relaxing in nature. For adventure lovers, the Il Gigante Adventure Park is located right opposite the Medici Park.

Bivigliano is a favourite destination for Florentines seeking to escape the summer heat; in September, the village hosts the Sagra della Schiacciata. Among the stories of Bivigliano is that of the Pozzolini family, owners of the villa of the same name, which is now used for events and weddings. Here, in post-unification Italy, an interesting educational initiative developed: the rural school established by the women of the family – the mother, Gesualda Malenchini Pozzolini, and her daughters, Cesira and Antonietta. Around 1868, they created the first form of free public education open to children of all genders and backgrounds from the Vaglia area, which taught thousands of children to read and write.

Monte Senario is the religious heart of the Vaglia area, a hermitage perched on the summit of a windswept hill and nestled in the woods. According to tradition, it was founded on 8 September 1233 by seven Florentine monks who withdrew to this inaccessible place to lead a hermit’s life, establishing a new order: the Servants of Mary. Over the centuries, the monastery has been enriched with works of art, whilst the surrounding forest is home to firs, chestnut trees, oaks, black pines, Douglas firs and Scots pines: a favourite destination on hot summer’s days.

Hiking and walking routes to Vaglia

This area’s affinity for the great outdoors is evident and, as mentioned, there are several major walking routes criss-crossing it: the Renaissance Ring, the Florentine Medici Way and the famous Way of the Gods. See the map of all the walking routes in the Florence area.

How to get to Vaglia

Vaglia is situated on the Via Bolognese, which links the two cities of Florence and Bologna; it is also connected by the Faentina railway line, which takes just 20 minutes to reach Florence.

Download the "All Around Florence" brochure

To learn more about the history of the area surrounding Florence, download the brochure from the official tourism website of the Municipality of Florence and the Metropolitan City: Click here to download the brochure.