Papiano: Church, Castle and Routes

Papiano brings together religious art, medieval history and routes through the landscape. Santa Cristina and Urbech Castle offer two distinct cultural points of interest; the routes to Passo della Calla and around Monte Tufone add their own distinctive landscapes. If you choose a destination based on specific features, this distinction makes it easier to focus on cultural history, woodland scenery and route length.

Church of Santa Cristina and religious art

The Church of Santa Cristina has been listed in the Diocese of Fiesole catalogue since 1299. It houses a stone ciborium attributed to Mino da Fiesole or da Poppi; the sculptor was active in the 15th century. There is also a 15th-century fresco of the Madonna and Child in the Tuscan style. In the case of the ciborium, the 15th century refers to the period when the attributed sculptor was active; for the fresco, it is the date of the work. The two works of art also differ in material and subject: the stone ciborium above, and the wall painting depicting the Madonna and Child. The listing dating from 1299 and the references to the 15th century set different time horizons side by side.

Urbech Castle and the Guidi Counts

Urbech Castle was an ancient castle of the Guidi Counts and the centre of the county of the same name. Its connection with the counts and its role as the county centre therefore form a distinct historical focus alongside the religious art of Santa Cristina.

National park and climb to Passo della Calla

The entrance to the Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona and Campigna National Park begins near Papiano; this is also where the climb to Passo della Calla starts. A 2021 description gives the climb as a 17 km route through ancient beech forests that are part of a UNESCO World Heritage site. The pass, route length and forest give the climb a distinctive landscape character alongside Papiano’s cultural themes.

Circular route around Monte Tufone and Percorso N1

The circular route around Monte Tufone, “Il giro del monte Tufone”, is about 30 km long and runs from Papiano to the springs of Calcedonia. It can be travelled by bicycle, on foot or on horseback. Percorso N1: Falterona, Lago degli Idoli, sorgente dell’Arno is about 13 km long and takes approximately six hours. This makes it possible to compare the shorter N1 route, with its stated duration, with the longer circular route around Monte Tufone. For the latter, three possible ways of travelling are a key feature. This gives you different points of comparison for your planning: route length and approximate duration for N1, and the circular route, destination and means of travel for Monte Tufone.

Discover more destinations: Capolona, Penna, Colcellalto, Le Ville, Anghiari, Civitella In Val Di Chiana, Rigo, Manzi

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