Alpe di Catenaia
A mountain abundant in water, trees and history
The Alpe di Catenaia is a mountain range that separates Casentino from the Valtiberina. Its highest peak is Monte Castello. The abundance of water is the main characteristic of these mountains, which gives rise to a varied flora and oak and chestnut woodland.
The Alpe di Catenaia is well suited to tourists who happen to chance upon the area as well as expert hikers, who find trails catering to their abilities from upwards of 1,100 metres. Check out Prati della Regina, a vast meadow surrounded by oak trees, which rises up to the 1,414 metres of Monte Castello. Another particularly scenic spot is Monte Altuccia (1,407 metres above sea level), which affords views as far as the Adriatic Sea on the clearest of days. On the way down you can find a little lake nestled between the meadows and Casetta del Vaccaio, once a refuge for shepherds whose cattle grazed nearby and now available for all visitors.
The Gothic Line ran through here during the Second World War, a strategic point for control over Arezzo and San Sepolcro. Evidence of the trenches can still be seen and unexploded old German and American bombs are occasionally unearthed in the area.
