Cavriglia

Cavriglia is a small town in the Valdarno area, in the province of Arezzo, Tuscany, roughly halfway between Florence and Arezzo. Made up of several hamlets, including Meleto Valdarno, San Cipriano and Santa Barbara, the area bears the imprint of an industrial past linked to lignite mining, an activity that shaped the local landscape for over a century. Former mining sites have since been converted into natural spaces, most notably the Parco Minerario, where a beech forest was planted over the reclaimed land, now offering walking trails and an unusually green setting for the region. The hamlet of Castelnuovo dei Sabbioni, partly swallowed by the expanding mines, still holds traces of this history through a documentation centre dedicated to the area's mining heritage. Surrounding the town, classic Tuscan hills are dotted with olive groves and vineyards, set within a quiet rural environment. The climate is Mediterranean, with hot, dry summers and mild winters. Cavriglia's location makes it a peaceful base for exploring the Valdarno, Florence and Arezzo, while offering an unspoilt natural setting and a distinctive industrial heritage rarely found elsewhere in Tuscany.