Ideas
From Leonardo to Pinocchio: a land rich in beauty and creativity
3/26/23
Valdinievole is an area of Tuscany that extends from the lower banks of the Arno river and eventually reaching the northern Appennines. Its strategic geographic position has helped make it a center of natural beauty and magnificence across the entire region. The landscape is varied in terms of its morphology and characteristics: it’s a territory of history, art and nature, dense in medieval villages and castles that rise like jewels in the green hills, which blossom with fruits and flowers.
But the Valdinievole isn’t known just for its beauty—it’s also got brains. Genius, at that. It was right here in Vinci, in fact, that Leonardo was born—a painter and scientist who still needs no introduction today. Vinci is a village on the slopes of Montalbano, surrounded by vineyards, olive groves and terracing supported by characterstic walls, and known for being home to the library and the civic Leonardo Museum, which features an ample, prestigious collection of models and inventions created by the man himself.
Another symbol of the Valdinievole is most certainly Pinocchio, the celebrated character first introduced by Carlo Collodi. In his namesake town you’ll find the Pinocchio Park, inspired by the famous book, dedicated to children and to their imagination.
Leonardo da Vinci and Pinocchio are, fittingly, the key reference points for this entire tourism area, which includes the towns of Uzzano, Ponte Buggianese, Pieve a Nievole, Pescia, Montecatini Terme, Monsummano Terme, Massa and Cozzile, Lamporecchio and Larciano, Chiesina Uzzanese and Buggiano.
This is an unmissable area, one that’s well worth getting to know and appreciating, with all of its artistic, cultural, architectural and food and wine related treasures. The Valdinievole is a key player in Tuscan tourism, and in all Italian tourism, for that matter.
For more information on the Valdinievole, see www.tomontecatini.com.