Beyond the Apennines mountain pass, between Bologna and Firenze, we find Firenzuola. The town was built in 1350 by the Florentine Republic to protect the road to Florence from Bologna.
On September 17, 1944, after a long, bloody battle, the allies crossed the Gothic line and conquered Monte Altuzzo at the Giogo Pass. In ExSeminario building, there's an exibition dedicated to the War. A trip to Bruscoli and the Historical Ethnographic museum is perfect for history and archeology buffs. Here you will find traditional farm tools as well as war records and memorabilia from WWII.
Pietra Serena, the local grey sandstone, has been used for centuries to decorate squares, Florentine palazzo, and religious and municipal monuments throughout the territory. To preserve the history of stone making the cellars of the Rocca, fortress, are home to the Museo della Pietra Serena.
Firenzuola is today the ideal place for nature lovers who prefer the relaxing silence of the uncontaminated woods and lush fields for long treks on foot, horseback or by bike: along Via degli Dei to uncover the secrets of the military Flaminia, the ancient Roman road. In Moscheta in the “Giogo Casaglia” forestry complex you find thematic routes and the Museo del Paesaggio Storico dell’Appennino. In the Oasi di Covigliaio is it possible to see muflons, Sasso di Castro heights and the Covigliaio Museum, a private collection of objects from the past.
In Firenzuola you can find meat, organic spelt, white potatoes, and a taste of the excellent Tagliatelle with mushroom or wild game sauce; indeed, this is the land of the wholesome Mukki Mugello milk, and that we are on the Via del Latte (milk road)!