Path of Etruscans – Volterra, Artimino, Firenze, Fiesole
The hiking path of Via Etrusca Volterra – Artimino – Firenze – Fiesole, realised within the project “Tuscany Etruscan Land”, in large measure traces one of the principal routes that, towards the territory controlled by the Etruscan centre of Artimino, was meant to link Volterra and the metallic hills with the district of the mid Valdarno, with the transapennine regions, with Bologna and the Adriatic coast.
The path organised by the Tuscany Region in the north area of Arno, starts from the link with Via Francigena near Fucecchio, it crosses the territory of Cerreto Guidi and Vinci, and in enters in the territory of Carmignano – a municipality of the Montalbano area, in which persist the typical characteristic of Tuscan landscape, studded of vineyards and olive groves – to reach the areas that are deeply marked by the Etruscan presence.
From the fortify settlement of Pietramarina – in an extraordinary panoramic position and in a remarkable naturalistic background – already travelling towards the Etruscan route, then marked by the Church of S. Giusto, S. Martino in Campo e S. Leonardo, you can arrive to Artimino, location of the village that controls the whole territory, where now are placed a beautiful Museum – core of the Archaeological Park of Carmignano – and the Necropolis of Prato Rosello, merged in the Mediterranean forest and reachable with a brief deviation; going down to Comeana, you can get to the awesome Tumulus of Montefortini and the one of Boschetti. Through a deviation, from Pietramarina it’s possible to go down to the archaeological park of Montereggi, from where you can reconnect to Artimino.
From Comeana, you can reach Signa and Florence, using the cycle path that coasts the Arno river, from with, in correspondence of the city of San Donnino, departs a deviation that conduces to the Etruscan centre of Gonfienti. The main track, after having crossed the historical centre of Florence, (where there is the National Archaeological Museum) arrives to Fiesole, location of the Etruscan village, than become a Roman territory.
