Holiday apartment in Cancelli: church art, Balze and hiking trails

If you are planning a holiday apartment in Cancelli, you will encounter two defining aspects of the area: Santa Margherita a Cancelli, with its religious art and history, and the Balze, with their ravines and hiking trails. This combination of culture and landscape gives you a practical basis for structuring your stay around cultural impressions, observing nature and outdoor activities.

Santa Margherita a Cancelli: Church and art

Santa Margherita a Cancelli was one of the suffragan churches of the Plebato of San Pietro a Cascia. The interior has a single nave and includes two chapels, as well as the chapel of the Compagnia, which is known as “Tinaia”. This clear and unusual spatial layout makes the church an important cultural point of interest within the history of the area.

Santa Margherita a Cancelli houses a positive organ dating from 1697, one of the oldest in the Diocese of Fiesole. The chapel of the Compagnia del Corpus Domini of Santa Margherita a Cancelli also contains a fresco depicting the Crucifixion and saints, dating from 1516 and reminiscent of the work of Andrea Del Sarto.

The Balze: geology and landscape

The Area Naturale Protetta delle Balze is included in the regional list of protected areas as a local nature conservation area. Around Cancelli, the Balze consist of layers of sand, clay and gravel; they have steep vertical walls up to around 100 m high and deep ravines. This gives the landscape a distinct geological character, which is particularly evident along the trails.

Hiking trails with different focuses

The Sentiero R24 follows the Fosso di Cetina and passes the Balze, allowing hikers to view their geological structure from close up. The trail is 4,200 m long and has a walking time of 02:45. The Sentiero R24A can only be accessed on foot and leads through a mixed forest of downy oak, Turkey oak and holm oak.

The Strada comunale della Castellina connects Cancelli with Montanino; along this road, the Sentiero R24 reaches Pian di Tegna. The combination of trail and road therefore provides a specific point of reference for the landscape around Cancelli, without the trails necessarily having the same character.

In the area around Cancelli, a well-signposted circular trail of just under 5 km 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, a building that served hermit monks and whose terrace offers a beautiful view over the valley.

Planning a holiday apartment in Cancelli between culture and nature

If you are planning a holiday apartment in Cancelli, you can weigh cultural impressions at Santa Margherita a Cancelli against trails of varying lengths through the landscape. The different trail lengths help you compare daily itineraries objectively; at the same time, the church, Balze, mixed forest and destinations in Vallombrosa leave room for changing interests during your stay.

Further places for planning your trip

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

For the overview of the wider area: Reggello.