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A stage on the Via Vallombrosa branch.
Passing one of the oldest crossings over the Arno, the San Clemente bridge - also known as the Rignano bridge and built on the historic Via Cassia Adriana, the Roman consular road that connected Arezzo to Fiesole and Florence - Rignano sull'Arno begins to appear in the distance, immersed in the Tuscan countryside.
Along paths that take you through copses and rural settings, you come across the beautiful landscapes of the Valdarno and its churches of significant historical and artistic importance, such as the parish church of St Peter at Pitiana, in Reggello. Surrounded by views of vineyards and olive groves, the church is home to two paintings by Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio.
The stage ends at the Abbey of Vallombrosa, a splendid and imposing building founded in 1036 at the behest of the Benedictine monk St John Gualbert. Today, the abbey is a place of prayer, retreat and silence, surrounded by spirituality and nature. Embraced by the Vallombrosa forest, a green space famous across Italy, and built and governed over the centuries by the monks, the abbey also includes an apothecary's shop. Here, products like chocolate, honey, ointments and spirits with aromatic properties, such as Vallombrosa Dry Gin, are still produced today according to monastic traditions.
