Cancelli between church art and the Balze landscape

Church history in Santa Margherita a Cancelli

The cultural focus is Santa Margherita a Cancelli. The church was one of the suffragan churches of the Plebato of San Pietro a Cascia. Its interior has a single nave and includes two chapels as well as the chapel of the Compagnia, known as the “Tinaia”.

The furnishings include a positive organ from 1697, one of the oldest in the Diocese of Fiesole. The Chapel of the Compagnia del Corpus Domini also contains a fresco of the Crucifixion and saints from 1516, reminiscent of the painting of Andrea Del Sarto.

The Balze near Cancelli

The landscape around Cancelli also has a clearly distinctive character. The Area Naturale Protetta delle Balze has been included in the regional list of protected areas as a local nature conservation area. Around Cancelli, the Balze consist of layered sand, clay and gravel deposits. Their steep vertical walls reach heights of up to around 100 metres; deep gorges also characterize this terrain.

Trails between Fosso di Cetina and Vallombrosa

The Sentiero R24 follows the Fosso di Cetina and passes the Balze. This allows hikers to view their geological structure up close. At the Strada comunale della Castellina, the Sentiero R24 reaches Pian di Tegna; this road connects Cancelli with Montanino.

The Sentiero R24 is 4,200 metres long; the walking time is given as 02:45. The specified walking time can be inserted into the daily schedule as a time window for a planned section of the route. This is helpful if, in addition to the route along the Fosso di Cetina and the Balze, the connection to Pian di Tegna is also to be taken into account. The Fosso di Cetina and the Balze lie along the route of the R24; the R24A passes through mixed woodland. For the R24A, accessibility on foot is the practical requirement.

The Sentiero R24A is accessible exclusively on foot and leads through mixed woodland of downy oak, Turkey oak and holm oak.

In the vicinity of Cancelli, there is also a well-signposted circular trail just under five kilometres long that leads through forest chapels in the Foresta di Vallombrosa, which are associated with the places where Saint Giovanni Gualberto lived. Another trail in Vallombrosa includes the Scala Santa and continues to the Paradisino. The building served hermit monks; from its terrace, there is a beautiful view over the valley.

The various trail profiles help you organize your daily planning according to landscape, walking time or cultural interest. In Cancelli, sacred interiors, the geological form of the Balze and the forest landscapes of Vallombrosa can be considered as distinct focal points.

Further places for planning your trip

Further places: Fornaci Incisa, Tosi, Tallini, Vallombrosa, San Donato Fronzano, Sant'ellero, Donnini.

To the higher-level travel overview: Reggello.