The best running trails in Area Protetta Cascine Di Tavola

Parco delle Cascine di Tavola is a protected natural area and a public park of about 300 hectares located in the southern area of the municipality of Prato. Born in the 15th century at the behest of Lorenzo the Magnificent, it represents the city's main green lung and combines immense historical, landscape, and agricultural value. History and Medici Origins Conceived in the 15th century together with the nearby Villa Medicea di Poggio a Caiano. It was born as a model farm with a dense network of canals for land reclamation from swamps. The Medici Farm: A square-plan building with a water moat, built by Giuliano da Sangallo between 1477 and 1479 for livestock breeding and the production of cheeses destined for Florence.

Parco delle Cascine di Tavola is a protected natural area and a public park of about 300 hectares located in the southern part of the municipality of Prato. Born in the 15th century at the behest of Lorenzo the Magnificent, it represents the main green lung of the city and combines immense historical, landscape, and agricultural value. Project by Lorenzo the Magnificent: Conceived in the 15th century together with the nearby Villa Medicea di Poggio a Caiano. It was born as a model farm equipped with a dense network of canals for land reclamation from marshes. The Medici Farm: A square building with a water moat, built by Giuliano da Sangallo between 1477 and 1479 for livestock breeding and the production of cheeses destined for Florence.

The Rocca or Castle of Carmignano has dominated the village from above for over a thousand years: the bastion was in fact mentioned for the first time in the year 998, in a document by Otto III of Saxony which granted ownership to the bishop of Pistoia. The Rocca was the object of continuous battles between Pistoia, Florence and Prato, due to its strategic position in the political-military context of the Middle Ages: from up here, in fact, you can admire the entire plain between the three cities. After having resisted, in 1154, a siege conducted by troops from Prato and Florence, the castle was destroyed for the first time in 1228 by the Florentines. Having regained possession of Pistoia in 1242, the fortification was rebuilt and in the early fourteenth century sold again to Florence, which proceeded to demolish the fortress and the castle walls once again. After a new parenthesis in Pistoia (1315-1324) the castle returned to Florentine hands, only to be besieged and conquered by Castruccio Castracani, who made it his own stronghold until 1328, when it finally returned to Florence. The Rocca di Carmignano can be accessed via a pedestrian path (starting from the church of San Michele, where Pontormo's famous Visitation is kept) that climbs the hill full of olive trees, where you can enjoy a beautiful view of Montalbano. Few remains of the medieval walls around the Rocca remain, partly rebuilt as the Campano, with the bell tower and clock, while in the center stands a medieval tower, called the Maschio della Rocca. (www.visittuscany.com)

Interesting village with catering options

nice park to practice even for beginners

La Rocca above The village of Carmignano is worth a visit and not just for the view. From this fortress there were two arms that the Pistoiesi had placed and that "made the figs" towards Florence. For more information, consult the Divine Comedy.

The Parco delle Cascine di Tavola is a beautiful park that extends over about 300 hectares, just a few minutes from the city center, taking its name from the neighborhood of the same name in which it is located. In the fifteenth century, the farmhouses were created on the initiative of Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici, better known as the Magnificent. At the time, the livestock breeding and the production of cheeses originating in this locality satisfied the demand of all of Florence. Today, the park offers several opportunities to enjoy the spaces: walking, running, on one of the many benches or relaxing on the grass. It is not uncommon to spot wild animals. The park, usually quiet, offers panoramas and colors that strike the eyes and cheer up the spirit.

The CD. "Barco Reale" dates back to 1626. It is a hunting reserve built at the behest of the Medici and surrounded by a wall of about 50 km: the aim was to safeguard the animals that lived in the area in order to have game available for hunting of the Grand Dukes.