Historical and Natural Itineraries in Sesto Fiorentino
Photography by Bruno Boretti - Research by Marco Giachetti
Codes refer to the maps at the bottom of this page
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NATURE TRAILS AROUND MONTE MORELLO (N)
Half of the territory of the municipality of Sesto Fiorentino consists of lowlands, while the other half is hilly or even geographically speaking, mountainous (over 600 metres above sea level). The bases for the excursions described here are all located where it is easy to park. In order to enjoy to the fullest the panorama and the natural environment of the hills and mountains, we advise going on foot, by mountain bike or horseback (restoration of some of the old Onivie or mule trails has also been proposed) following one of the many trails which is marked and maintained by the local CAI (Italian Mountaineering Club).
1N= By car to the Fonte dei Seppi- Forestale-Radura delle Farfalle (ex casetta Spighi)-Selletta-Poggio all’Aia - Selletta - Cornacchiaccia- Poggio Casaccia - Croce- Costone Trail - Tedesco morto - Forestale- Seppi = 9 Km, 3.5 hours.
2N=By car to Piazzale Leonardo – P. Balletto - P. Giro - Fonte Seppi- Forestale- Cascina- Ceppeto - P. Giro - Piazzale Leonardo = 7 Km, 2.5 hours.
3N=By car to the church of Morello – Fonte Morello - Borgo Morello - Fonte del Ciliegio - Costone of Peak III (Rompistinchi)- Piazza Aia- Selletta- Mulattiera- Treggiaia- Gualdo- Borgo- Morello = 9 km, 4 hours.
4N=By car to the Church of Gualdo – Treggiaia - Poggio Casaccia - Poggio Capannelle- Piazza Casaccia - Piazza Cornacchiaccia - Piazza Aia - Selletta - Forestry Meadow of the Butterflies – Treggiaia - Gualdo = 8 km, 4 hours.

CROSSING MONTE MORELLO ON FOOT AND BY TRAIN (NN)
NN = This trip is about 18 km long; it departs from one of the local train stations at Neto, Sesto Fiorentino, Zambra, Firenze Castello (for those arriving at Sesto by train) and arrives at the station at Vaglia, on the Faentine railway line (or viceversa, for those who wish to do the trip the other way around). The trip is of medium difficulty and takes the entire day (be sure to bring along a picnic lunch and something to drink), on the other hand, it includes spectacular views and unspoiled natural areas. For the do-it–yourself excursions, of course, one can organize the trip anyway they want, departing from their own house or from one of the bus stops. Examples of itineraries are: Neto - Parco Neto - Le Cappelle – Piazza Bati - Collina Morello – Gualdo – Vecciolino - Tedesco Morto - Poggio Rotondo - Anello del Rinascimento trail – Piscina – Paterno - Vaglia (variant: Gualdo – Treggiaia - P.Casaccia - P.Aia - P.Pianeti-P.Cafaggio - P.Scarabone - Vaglia). From Vaglia there are trains for Florence S.M.N. or C. Marte. (www.ferroviedellostato.it - call center 892021) Or (short itinerary): Castello - Villa Reale – Castellina - Il Casale - S. Silvestro - Cercina.
This Monte Morello excursion can also be done using the ATAF buses for Sesto (numbers 2, 18 and 28) and from Pratolino (25) – Cercina – Serpiolle (43). tel. 055.266161 and S.I.T.A buses on the Bolognese road (tel. 800.373760) and LAZZI buses (tel.055.351061) from the parish church at Piazza Cercina directed to Piazza Dalmazia in Florence (43).

NATURE TRAILS THROUGH THE HILLS (N)
5N= 5N=From Colonnata to Doccia, Viottolone, Via Piana, fonte Giallina, along the Zambra, Palastreto, Castellina, Colonnata = 8 km, 3 hours.
6N=From Quinto to the cemetery of the Misericordia, to Castellina, Casale, S.Silvestro, the Cora monument, Cercina, Malafrasca, Topaia, Castello, Quinto = 8 km, 3 hours.
7N= Trail along the Rimaggio strema from Colonnata (bridge of Palancola), to Mulina, to the lake of Faini, to the mill of Gualdo.
8N=Trail along the Zambra from Il Lavacchio to the Fonte Giallina.
9N=From Borgo di Querceto to the Cappelle, to Poggio Bati, to Masseto, to the lake of Faini, to S.Donato to Lonciano, to Isola, Le Mulina, Valiversi, S.Iacopo, Borgo= 9 km. 3.5 hours.

THE URBAN PARKS

PARK OF THE NETO (1PU)
This park was created in 1852 for the Marquis Boissy; it is a rectangle of 7 hectares planned around a little lake created by a natural spring which was once part of the vast chain of lakes that covered the plain. The most interesting feature in the park are the gigantic Taxodium trees which are originally from the swamps of North America. They grow in extremely wet environments and the roots are partially exposed above the water in order to receive oxygen (pneumataphores). They grow up to 50 metres tall and can live to be 1000 years old. The villa that is adjacent to the park was the residence of the Marquis de Boissy, a peer of France, and his wife Teresa Gamba, who is buried in the family chapel. Teresa Gamba, in her youth had been the “Italian lover” of the British poet Lord Byron. The satirical cartoons of the era suggest that this was a scandalous love affair since at the time she was still unhappily married to the elderly hedonist Count Guiccioli, who fortunately soon afterwards left her a widow. Even after her second marriage, she steadfastly defended the memory of Byron, perhaps to a greater extent than he deserved! The park is open to the public every day.

PARK OF VILLA SOLARIA (2PU)
The park is adjacent to the 16th century villa Torrigiani; it was made into a park in the 18th century, while the major construction work in the following century gave it its present appearance which has survived notwithstanding a long period of neglect, and revealed the presence of two Etruscan tombs.
The park is now independent from the villa and the guest cottage which are private property. It is a equipped for use as a municipal park and in the Summer is used for concerts and other types of manifestations.

PARK OF VILLA PAOLINA (BALDINI-DUFOUR-BERTHE) (3PU)
The park is open only by appointment in July and August; it still looks as it did in 1830 when it belonged to Camillo Borghese, widower of Paolina Bonaparte, with the garden and parterre in the front and the woods in the back which are connected to the villa by a suspended wrought iron bridge which is one of the first examples of its type and was probably made at the iron works of the Grand Duke at Follonica or the Pignone.

PARK OF VILLA STANLEY (EX-ALEXANDER, LA LIMONAIA) (4PU)
Villa Stanley (ex-villa Ughi) is an interesting example of a 16th century Florentine residence. It is now a luxury hotel and cannot usually be visited, but the part of the gardens that is still private contains a curiosity: the cemetery for Stanley’s dogs, with tombstones with the names of the dogs and dedications. The part of the gardens with the guest cottage, La Limonaia, has been transformed into a tennis club and is open to the public.

PARK OF VILLA GUICCIARDINI (5PU)
The park is open to the public by appointment only, and now houses the Experimental Theatre of the Limonaia. The gardens are based on an 18th century design that is perfectly suited to the architecture of the villa and has been cited as an example of an ideal Italian style garden by authors of the 1920s like H. Donaldson Eberlein and Shepherd/Jellicoe, while the little labyrinth was inspired by that at Hampton Court. The statue at the fountain of the little girl (Anna Guicciardini) with a fish is by Antonio Berti. In the nymphaeum or grotto there are a Roman sarcophagus and two sculptures in relief which were once part of an archaeological collection. Unfortunately, in 1962, the garden was cut off from the copse or Ragnaia, which is now also a municipal park, by the creation of a new street.

PARK OF VILLA S. LORENZO AL PRATO (6PU)
The park of S. Lorenzo al Prato is a public park which is used for various types of manifestations, while the villa, acquired and restored by the city, is used as the neighbourhood committee headquarters, for temporary exhibitions, and houses the De Martino Institute of the History of Music, and the Music School of Sesto. It has a small walled garden with an nymphaeum.

PARK OF VILLA GERINI (7PU)
The park can be visited by appointment in July and August and is open during the manifestations held in the villa. In the 1930s, cardinal Pacelli, the future pope Pius XII, often visited the Marquis Gerini here. The most interesting feature of the park is the lake with its nymphaeum, where there is a tiny island which can be reached by a bridge which leads to the tea house. On the gate there is a sign which says that this is one of the stops on the Pinocchio itinerary (The Field of Miracles).

PARK OF VILLA GINORI AT DOCCIA (8PU)
The villa is open by appointment in July and August; it is surrounded by an Italian style garden and woodland; in 1818, the Ginori family, who were already operating their famous porcelain factory, in order to help the people of Colonnata during an economic crisis, decided to invest part of their considerable economic resources in a grandiose park surrounded by a wall that was several kilometres long and extended dramatically along most of the hill, the Poggio Acuto, and recalls the park of the Barchi Granducali, a hunting preserve of the Medici and Lorraine dynasties. The park includes a dense woodland of cypress and oak trees, with a steep pathway which ascends the hill and forms a T with the Via Piana, the road which connects the park to the Villa at Carmignanello, which, at the time, also belonged to the Ginori family.

PARK OF PALASTRETO AND VILLA OF CARMIGNANELLO (9PU)
From the convent of Castellina, you can follow a picturesque road flanked by stone walls (via di Carmignanello) with magnificent views of Sesto, Florence and the valley below; on the left is the area of the old quarries of Palastreto which have been filled in and are partially available for use as a recreational area with the nearby archaeological zone (indicated by signs) with Etruscan tombs. The road winds for about 2 km through olive groves and a cypress wood, before reaching the remains of the Romanesque church of S. Bartolomeo, then the villa of the convent of Carmignanello, and slightly beyond, the spring of Fonte Giallina.

THE LAKES OF THE PLAIN OF SESTO (PL)
Before visiting the lakes, check with the managing agencies; be sure to bring your binoculars and bird watching manuals.

LAKE OF THE POLVERIERA OR OF THE AIRPORT (1PL)
This typical artificial lake was created a few years ago by a consortium of hunters, who in their own way are ecologists thanks to a certain type of self-disciplining code; the lake offers a variety of flora and fauna and is recognized by the city PRG.

WWF OASIS IN VAL DI ROSE (2PL)
To the south of the campus, in collaboration with the university, a small area of 2 hectares was created with three tiny lakes and a few ponds for the purpose of creating a herpetological area which is unique in Italy, for the protection of amphibians that are threatened by urban development. (Emerald toad, tree toad, spotted newt, crested newt) and reptiles (coluber, green lizard, water snake natrix ) and birds (gallinula chloropus, egretta garzetta, alcedo atthis, Himantopus himantopus). At this time the area is closed and in a state of neglect because of the difficulty of access since it is surrounded by farmlands.

PONDS OF FOCOGNANO (3PL)
The park extends for 65 hectares inside the city limits of Campi Bisenzio, along the limits of the city of Sesto Fiorentino. It is a WWF oasis and can be visited all year round by appointment with the WWF of Tuscany. The park is an important stopover point for migrating birds and, in particular for ducks of which the most frequent types are: Anas platyrynchos, Anas Penelope, Anas acuta, and other swamp birds like Spatola clypeata, Limosa limosa, Tringa nebularia, Tringa totanus, white and grey herons, Nycticorax nycticorax, Egretta garzetta, Podicipes cristatus, ixobrychus minutus, Acrocephalus scirpaceus, Podicipes ruficollis, etc.

GAINA LAKES (4PL)
The lakes risked being dried up during the 1980s when a railway interchange double the size of that eventually installed was supposed to built next to them; unfortunately for the Etruscan city of Gonfienti, but fortunately for the lakes, the railway interchange was relocated to the Interport in Prato. The park includes three rather large lakes and some hunting huts and cabins also on the outside of the area on the banks of the Fosso Macinante. Pink flamingos (phoenicopterus ruber), herons and egrets can often be seen around the lakes. There is also a large colony of sea gulls who have established themselves here, near the huge garbage dump of Case Passerini and use the lakes of the Gaina and the ones near the railway tracks as their hunting territory for the American red shrimp.
It would be nice to see lake boats in use here again; there are still some in other wetlands in Tuscany, but it seems that the last of the lake boats from this area was filled with earth and was being used as a flower bed near a farmhouse in Campi.

CITY PARK OF THE PLAIN – AREA OF QUERCIOLA (5PL)
The park was created in 1997, and includes a recreational area, a woodland, and a lake, spread over an area of 50 hectares which can be visited following a network of paths and bridges. The area is inhabited by a large colony of swamp birds (Acrocephalus arundinaceus, Emberiza schoeniclus, Acrocephalus scirpaceus, Acrocephalus schoenobaenus, Cettia cetti) as well as Phylloscopus collybita, robins, Nycticorax nycticorax, red herons, and merops apiaster; the area is also important for the presence of amphibians like frogs, toads and salamanders.

THE PONDS OF THE CAPITANO (6PL)
Next to the gas station at the start of the Autostrada at Peretola, this area is named for a captain that created it sometime between the two world wars. It has been restored and is frequented by a hunting association that uses the nearby fields for training their dogs and welcomes visitors. The pond is divided into two. On the right the level of the water is very low and is ideal for wading birds and limicolous birds, while the deeper water on the left side is ideal for ducks.

LIPU (Italian League for the Protection of Birds) OASIS ZONE:
THE LITTLE LAKE OF THE CAVALIERI (7PL)
Near to the overpass of the Autostrada which leads from the garbage dump of Case Passerini towards Focognano, there is a habitat that is ideal for a colony of Cavalieri d’Italia (Himantopus himantopus) which every year returns here to build their nests and to reproduce. Along the Autostrada Firenze-Mare using refuse from the Cavet dump, they have built a system of anti-noise dunes which goes from the ponds of the Capitano at Peretola to the Autostrada interchange at Firenze Nord; The dunes have been planted with small trees and bushes and there is a dirt road and two bike trails. There are ditches, some of which have been deliberately dammed. Among the dunes there is a small lake where migrating water birds can rest. Riding a bicycle along the dirt road adjacent to the farm of Focognano, where horses, pigs and sheep graze in the pastures and the Autostrada is hidden from view, it feels like a return to the past when families used to go out for picnics in the wetlands and very few people owned private cars.

LAKE OF PADULE (8PL)
The lake is situated to the west of the farmhouse at Querciola, and can be reached by a country road on the west side of Via Pantano. The area consists of seven hectares which include a lake which is still used for hunting and still has a natural eco-system thanks to drainage works conducted there. To the north one can still see a building which was used as part of a horse farm, and where a famous champion, Sicolone, was born in the 1960s.

History and Art Monuments in Sesto Fiorentino
1) Richard Ginori Museum of Doccia
2) Parish Church of S. Martino at Sesto
3) Church of S. Jacopo at Querceto
4) Church of S. Romolo at Colonnata
5) Church of S. Maria at Quinto
6) Etruscan Tomb of Montagnola
7) Etruscan Tomb of Mula
8) Villa Guicciardini-Corsi-Salviati
9) Church and Convent of Castellina
10) Villa Paolina
11) Ginori’s Villas of Doccia and Corte (old museum)
12) Church of S. Lorenzo al Prato and Villa of Brincino
13) Palazzo Pretorio (Podesta’s Palace)
14) Town Hall
15) Villa and Chapel of Casale
16) Parish Church of Cercina
17) Church of S. Bartolomeo at Padule
18) Villa Solaria or Torrigiani
19) Ipercoop shopping center

The Archeological Trail
1A) Roman nymphaeum near the Church of Settimello
2A) Roman inscription at the Church of S. Martino
3A) Etruscan tomb of La Montagnola
4A) Etruscan tomb of La Mula
5A) Demolished Etruscan tomb in the garden of Villa Solaria
6A) Specum of the Roman aqueduct in the buildings of the new railway
7A) Roman house in the Ipercoop underground parking
8A) Necropolis of Etruscan small-well tombs of Via di Carmignanello
9A) Roman inscriptions of the Parish Church of Cercina