Itinerary
Carmignano (piazza Vittorio Emanuele) → Rocca/Castello (la “sfiori”)
From the center, climb briefly toward the
Carmignano Castle along Via del Castello, skirting its walls and the panoramic bastion (without detouring inside if you want to keep your pace). The medieval fortress dominates the plain between Florence, Prato, and Pistoia.
Rocca → Pietranera
Continue on farm tracks and local roads through
olive groves and vineyards (historic Carmignano DOCG area), up to the locality of Pietranera on the hillside ridge. Mixed surface, wide views over Montalbano.
Pietranera → Citerna Alta
Follow the ridgeline toward
Citerna (the “Citerna Alta” stretch): dry-stone walls, stone farmhouses, and terracing. Here the landscape opens toward the Arno.
Citerna Alta → La Madonna
Descend gently to the locality of
La Madonna (a toponymic area near Artimino/Poggio alla Malva; a junction of rural roads).
La Madonna → ANPIL Artimino → Villa dei Cento Camini (arrival)
Return along gravel roads and paths within the
ANPIL Artimino (Protected Natural Area of Local Interest; hills, woodland patches, vineyards, and the medieval village), skirt the
Parish Church of San Leonardo and climb to the exedra of the
Villa Medicea “La Ferdinanda”, known as the
Villa of the Hundred Chimneys (1596, designed by
Bernardo Buontalenti, now part of the UNESCO Medici Villas site).
