17/04/2025
The Orme del Mugello walk is underway
Good luck!
We can't wish anything else for the Orme del Mugello project, which is now being publicly released after at least 5 years of work. A work of commitment, consultation, even lively discussions, but which has led the group that had gathered around an idea to work side by side and to combine passions and skills for the Mugello. The site and web app that are online from today are only a small part of what we have tried to build in recent years, and which will see the project come into operation in the next few months.
The opportunity to unite tourism, history, art, nature, well-being, hospitality and food and wine under one roof was born from the idea that Mugello is a large territory, rich in all these resources, but that not only has it not valorized them enough, but it doesn't even know them completely. This has led us to create (without tracing new ones) a series of routes, interconnected and combinable with each other, which also intertwine with existing routes and itineraries, in a river with a thousand streams, all to be discovered, all to be tried, making our territory the largest Italian Historical Park. Itineraries that can last a few hours or even a week (adding the longest ones) that allow you to appreciate Mugello in all its facets. Routes that have a purely historical connotation in their layout, creating a sort of superimposable map with different colors, with which to retrace the paths of old pilgrims, merchants and artisans, of popular faith, of wars and battles, of escapes and discoveries. Routes that, surprisingly, cover the entire Mugello area, no municipality excluded, and that allow you to understand its various peculiarities. In fact, these itineraries allow you to walk among the landscape wonders, meet and stop in places of interest and architectural beauties, have through guides (paper and electronic, with in-depth images, films, audio guides) the stories of the protagonists of the time to understand the places and the stories that unfolded there. Furthermore, you can stop at farms, villages and companies to see the processing of artisanal products and taste incredible flavors, the result of the Tuscan-Romagnola gastronomic contamination and the production of raw materials of the highest level. Lulled in the evening by the hospitality of the Mugello structures, which will be able to meet the various needs of walkers, cyclists or horse riders and which will make you forget the fatigue of the day, reappreciating the moments lived.
A complex and detailed work that will immediately want to put into play ten itineraries (and their variants), plus four with a particular theme, but which lends itself, with further historical insights and contributions, to be implemented at any time. The guide, in paper and multimedia formats, will also offer information and contacts to visit farms, artisans, artists present along the route (or with very short detours). Among the various opportunities, Orme del Mugello offers hikers a wellness experience immersed in nature, where they can relax, slow down and rediscover their inner balance. Accompanied by expert professionals, they will be able to experience activities such as Forest Bathing, Yoga, Meditation and other holistic disciplines, connecting with oneself and the sounds of nature to find harmony, peace and serenity. Specific characteristics for cyclists and horse riders will also be indicated, thus indicating who is equipped with sheds, stables, places for the maintenance and cleaning of bikes and animals. In addition, to accommodate the many walkers accompanied by their dog, on our site you will find information on Dog Friendly accommodation facilities, dedicated services and suggestions for enjoying the area together with your four-legged friend.
A specific promotion, through tour operators and dedicated channels, will also be designed for schools (and summer camps), so that they can plan guided tours combining knowledge and outdoor life. This will also be done within schools and in all local training/educational places, promoting school trips that are capable of combining moments of teaching with outdoor experiences. To make it more understandable and accessible to visitors, the staff of the tourist offices in the area will be trained in order to organize and reach all the various municipalities of Mugello in a uniform and widespread manner. Furthermore, specific information moments will be planned for environmental guides, cycling guides, dog trainers and holistic operators for all those who require the assistance of a guide or companion to support them during the journey.
As is customary in the paths of a certain tradition, also as a reminder of the experience, it will be distributed a “credential” on which to note the stamps of places of welcome, farms visited, tourist offices, parishes, bars or restaurants encountered along the way to demonstrate the route taken. This, in addition to being a nice souvenir, will create a bond with structures and places and will allow at the end to receive, to those who complete one or more routes, a certificate, the final “Testimonium”. These documents will be issued either by tourist offices or by places open continuously, spread throughout the territory.
And in May, on the 17th and 18th to be precise, between Barberino and San Piero a Sieve will be held “Iter - Festival of paths and slow living in Mugello”, which every year will be itinerant in the territory, which will serve to take stock of the progress of the initiative. The festivals will organize meetings and conferences on the world of walking and slow tourism, offering the possibility of experiences (which the walker will find by walking our paths), the possibility of finding artisans at work and products that are normally part of the realities present along the paths (including the food and wine specialties of the area).
A complete all-round commitment, which does not end with the realization of the project, but which will show a dynamic development over the years. In line with the name of the project: ORME DEL MUGELLO, it represents those left by our predecessors and by history, by the animals that own the woods in which our walks take place, but also those of each person who chooses to walk, or pedal, on our paths, marking a territory that we never stop discovering and with which to interact. Footprints that come from the past, Footprints that walk towards the future.
Happy walking to Orme del Mugello and to all those who want to get going and get involved!