The path 'Cypresses road'

The path 'Cypresses road', recently recovered thanks to the architect Mattia Desideri and the Montalbano Domani Association, owes its name to a characteristic group of trees located on a ridge, from which you can enjoy a 360 ° view of the surrounding countryside. The route is an ancient path that had a commercial function, in fact it connected Vinci to the Empoli market, up to the banks of the Arno river. The first evidence of the Cypresses road can be found in 'Plants of peoples and roads', a map that date back to the second half of the 16th century. The path starts from the new Sovigliana cycle path, from which you reach the Church of Santa Maria a Petroio and ends at the Church of San Donato in Greti. You can continue to the village of Vinci, near the sports field in Via Calvi. Along the way we recommend you to visit: - The church of Santa Maria a Petroio, which preserves a fourteenth-century venerated wooden sculpture of the Virgin and Child. Every year in December, around the church, a unique nativity scene is set up and it is one of the most evocative in the area. Over 250 square meters large, it is well-finished even in the smallest detail and hosts over 100 animated characters. - The church of San Donato in Greti, rebuilt in the 19th century on a pre-existing 13th-century church, has been closed for many years and therefore can only be visited from the outside. It is part of the places in the heart of FAI, the Italian Environment Fund.