It is an itinerary in the steps of a past and a present tightly linked in the art, culture and traditions of the towns
and villages along the Cassia Vetus, the ancient road between Arezzo and Fiesole.
Leonardo da Vinci, in the XVI cent., followed this route along the Pratomagno to study the flow of the Arno. The Balze seemed to him like “deep cuts made by the rivers”.
From Arezzo take the SP 1, called “la Setteponti” as far as Ponte a Buriano, a Romanesque bridge across the Arno (XIII cent.).
A bit farther on is Castiglion Fibocchi, a castle- like village guarding
the road which connected the Pratomagno with the Casentino. Outside the village, on the road on the left a stop to see a XIV cent. fresco of the Annunciazione, of the Arezzo school, inside the church of S.Maria a Pezzano, now the cemetery chapel.
Proceed towards Loro Ciuffenna; stop at the Romanesque Pieve di San Pietro a Gropina (XII cent.), one of the oldest in the Arezzo Diocese. The evocative interior has three naves with stone columns and capitals beautifully carved. A
bas-relief decorated ambon with human and animal figures (a lion, an eagle and a deacon) supported by two knotted columns and pillars, is the sculptural masterpiece of the church.
From Gropina proceed to Loro Ciuffenna, a former Etruscan and medieval village. In the historic centre is the church of S.Maria Assunta with a triptich by Lorenzo di Bicci (XV cent.) and the Museum “Venturino Venturi”, the artist who was born here in 1918. An alternative route from Loro Ciuffenna,
through the woods and hills of the Pratomagno, includes a stop at Poggio di Loro and Rocca Ricciarda, completely restored villages which offer a dramatic view of the Valdarno.
Continue along the Setteponti towards Castelfranco di Sopra, one of the “terre nuove”
founded by the Florentines in 1299. Noteworthy is the village plan, traditionally attributed to Arnolfo di Cambio, according to a regular chequed scheme, once provided with walls, towers and gates ( two only are left). Worth a visit is the Oratory of San Filippo Neri (XVIII cent.) who was born here in 1515.
Then proceed towards Pian di Scò, with a stop at the Badia di San Salvatore at Soffena, built on a preexisting castle in the XIV cent., a proof of the Vallombrosian community in
the Valdarno. In the interior fine frescoes by Liberato da Rieti, Bicci di Lorenzo and Giovanni di Ser Giovanni called Lo Scheggia (XV cent.), Masaccio’s younger brother. Next to the Badia stands the Monastery whose recent archeological excavations have discovered medieval and Renaissance tombs.
The itinerary ends at Pian di Scò, the last village of the Province of Arezzo, developed along the Resco river, from which the place-name seems to derive. In the historical centre stands the
Romanesque Pieve di S.Maria, documented in 1008. Its façade is adorned with blind arcades and two single-lancet windows.The three-nave interior has capitals with figures. On the left wall is a fresco of the Madonna in Trono with Child, by Paolo Schiavo, ca. 1400.
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