The Mugello is a broad valley north of Florence, tucked between the Apennines and the Florentine hills. It's Medici country — the family originated here, and they left their mark on almost every village: fortresses, villas, convents rebuilt to their commission. Today the valley is quiet farming and small-town territory, easy to reach from Florence but rarely crowded with tourists.
The main town is San Piero a Sieve, a medieval village with a Medici fortress on the hill above it. The surrounding countryside holds a cluster of Medici-commissioned buildings within a short drive of each other, including Trebbio Castle and the Convento di Bosco ai Frati with its Donatello crucifix.
The Alto Mugello, across the watershed to the north, is the mountainous edge of the valley where Tuscany meets Emilia-Romagna. It is deeply rural — stone villages, chestnut forests, and green valleys that see very few tourists. Its two centres are Firenzuola, a small town founded by the Florentine Republic in 1332, and Palazzuolo sul Senio, a village repeatedly named among Italy's ideal small towns.
For walkers, the Apennine ridges above the valley offer straightforward day hikes with good views south towards Florence.
