Tourist Information Offices in the Empolese Valdelsa Area
Two rivers flow through the Empolese Valdelsa area: to the north there is the Arno, which flows westwards in a series of wide loops, while to the south there is one of the Arno's main tributaries, the Elsa. Situated to the south-west of Florence, the area now forms a distinct administrative district. It has gentle hills and one of Italy's most important wetland zones, the Fucecchio Marshes. There are also many sites of great historic and artistic interest.
If you want to get to know the tourist information offices in the Empolese Valdelsa area, click on the file tourist information offices .
The Empoli area
We give an account of the territory around Empoli, which lies along the river Arno between Florence and Pisa.
The six towns described here are worth a visit for their history, for the works of art and for the environmental characteristics.
In the past this area was crossed by the Via Francigena, a european route for the pilgrims to Rome. It still exists as a hiking path.
The Padule also preserves the fascination of historical events linked to the Medici and Lorena families. Evidence of human endeavour can still be found in the area, conveying the important role the wetlands played in the past in the local economy: the canals, the system of ports, the sites of industrial archaeology such as the tobacco drying plant and Capannone farm, and the Bridge of Cappiano.
Valdelsa: a typical tuscan territory, a landscape made of gentle hills and spotted with villas and castles.
The most important towns are Castelfiorentino and Certaldo, but many other spots are worth a visit for the particular shape of the small historical centres.
The best-known travel itinerary of mediaeval pilgrims is that described by Sigeric, Archbishop of Canterbury. Between 990 and 994 on his return from Rome, he wrote down his route as far as the English Channel, along the so-called Via Francigena.
