At long last I arrived at Roberto’s home, carried by his lovely wife, Paola.
They welcome me warmly and, after drying me and massaging my frozen paws, they offered me a glass of local wine and started explaining me something about the area of Tuscany where they live, which is called Casentino.
The Casentino is the initial and highest basin of the Arno valley, extending from the sources of the Arno as far as Subbiano. It is one of the four valleys comprising the Province of Arezzo.
The Casentino is roughly oval in shape, extending either side of the Arno to a width of between 30 and 60 km. The topography of the Casentino is varied, including both river plain and heavily forested mountains ( I have understood where I found myself at my arrival by now!)
Due to its geographical position and to its history, although it is less than 50 km from Florence, few people know the Casentino well.
Since no highways or long-distance railways cross the valley, it is difficult to pass through the Casentino by chance. The mountains that ring the valley encompass the largest forests on the Italian peninsula.