Capraia e Limite is a small comune on the slopes of the Montalbano hills between Florence and Empoli. It is not a conventional tourist destination, but the hills above the Arno here are laced with old walking trails that follow medieval trade routes, passing Romanesque churches and rural estates.
The parish church of San Jacopo a Pulignano (visible from the outside only) and the Abbey of San Martino in Campo, built around the year 1100 near Artimino, are worth seeking out. On the Bibbiani hills east of Montereggi, the Villa Bibbiani and its botanical garden — planted with 120 species of trees by the agronomist Cosimo Ridolfi — made Giacomo Puccini a regular visitor.
The commune's history is tied to the Arno. The river encouraged settlement and trade, and from the 1400s onward Limite became a shipbuilding centre, using timber from the surrounding forests. The tradition of master boatbuilders continues today, with working shipyards producing racing and sea-going vessels. Limite's canoe society, founded in 1861, is the oldest in Italy.
The surrounding Montalbano hills are best explored on foot along the old medieval tracks, which connect the two village centres and extend toward nearby Montelupo Fiorentino.