Anello 02 Faltona

RING 02 (FALTONA)
Length: 4,5 km
Directionality: ring
Travel mode: on foot, bike, horse
Total ascent: 251 m

Description: the circular route is of medium difficulty, suitable for beginners and also for families (not with a stroller and children at least 8/10 years old). It starts and ends from the playground located in the public area behind the bar. Leaving the playground, follow via della Repubblica, leaving the ancient wash houses on the right and then take via Nuova (1) on the left. Continue on asphalt up to the Cemetery and from there you reach the hamlet of Castelnuovo where wonderful views of the Casentino and the Sacred Mount of La Verna open up. We enter the village of Castelnuovo (2) and following the signs, we exit from what was one of the ancient gates of the fortified village and then, near a squeegee,

turn left and take a natural downhill track. Follow the track that represented the old road that led to La Villa passing through wonderful chestnut woods (some of which are centuries old (3)). Thus you reach the asphalt road, turn left and after 200 meters you reach the small hamlet of “La Villa” (4) which you will cross and then go up towards Faltona. Following the asphalt we arrive at a crossroads where we will follow the signs for Ortaglia, after passing a group of houses we follow a path that takes us to a crossroads. Here you turn right to go up along one of the most beautiful, best-preserved ancient pavements in the entire Casentino (at the crossroads it is recommended to make a small detour of a few tens of meters to go and see the famous “Annibale’s Bridge” - (5)) . After leaving the pavement, you return to the asphalt and once you arrive under the village of Faltona, take the stone road that enters from the southern part of the village, follow it to cross the entire town lengthwise, passing in front of the Church of Saints Lorentino and Pergentino. After leaving the church we will shortly return to the starting point.

What can be seen:
The court of Faltona (formerly Castelvecchio) is mentioned in a diploma of Emperor Frederick I, given in Lodi on 25 June 1161, in favor of the abbey of Capolona, ​​to which among other possessions he conferred, or confirmed as a gift curtem de Faltona cum omnibus suis relevantis. The castle of Faltona was also among the ancient possessions of the Ubertini of Castel Focognano. The municipality of Faltona remained united to the community territory of Castel Focognano until the modern establishment of the Community of Talla, to which it was aggregated. The parish church of Faltona, formerly a branch of the parish church of Socana, was erected as a parish church by the bishop of Arezzo with a decree dated 25 May 1757. (Repetti source).Castelnuovo, more recent than the fortification of Faltona, was under the dominion of the Ubertini of Castel Focognano. In 1425 Niccolò Piccinino, as soon as he had abandoned the service of the Florentines for that of the Duke of Milan, moved to the territory of Arezzo and in a few days took Pontenano and the nearby Castel Nuovo.