Reggello

The area under the municipality of Reggello extends from the north-western side of Pratomagno to the Upper Valdarno. It used to be the medieval residence of a podestà and called Cascia, under the rule of the Counts Guidi. The castle of Cascia passed under the Republic of Florence at the end of the 13th century, and got fortified in 1385. The current toponym dates back to 1773.

During the past, the local economy was based on agriculture and sources coming from the forests of Vallombrosa. Between the 18th and the 19th century the furnishing industry expanded a lot, taking advantage of the high-quality wood from the nearby groves.

The area is spotted with small churches, villas, farm and a big number of ex-farmhouses. You should visit the Romanesque church of St Donato in Fronzana, renovated (including the Canonica and the Compagnia) in the 18th century; the church of St Clemente a Sociana that, in 1822, welcomed two 15th-century sculptural masterpieces (“Madonna col Bambino”, by Antonio Rossellino and “Angeli Reggicandelabro”, by Mino da Fiesole. These were pure examples of works made by artists classifiable as “Primitivi” – primitives – as coming before the titanic greatness of Michelangelo, the pomp and paganism of the so-called Mannerism.

This territory also houses the famous abbey of Vallombrosa.