Vallombrosa Abbey and forest
An eleventh century abbey in a fir forest an hour east of Florence, with shaded trails, small cascades and the tallest tree in Italy.
- Area
- Outside the centre
- Checked
- August 2026
The Vallombrosan monks planted these woods a thousand years ago and the forest is still the point. Trails leave from the abbey car park into silver fir and beech, past the small cascades of the Fosso dei Bruciati, and climb to the open summit of Monte Secchieta.
On the Ring of Giants route stands the Italian Tree King, a Douglas fir over sixty metres tall. The abbey itself has an arboretum with several thousand plants.
The reason to come in July is temperature: it sits around a thousand metres and it is cool while the city is not. About an hour by car east of Florence over the Consuma road, or bus from the station to Reggello and up.