How to Plan Your Visit
Oddly, although the trails were created to promote regional tourism, it's hard to find detailed information about them - especially in English. The official website has an English translation and a good map. If you download the pdf version and enlarge it enough, you'll find three loop routes (strada) outlined, with detailed listings of everything you'll find along the way.You can read about the specialties of the Casentino region on the next page, but it's also worth spending some time checking the map and researching other places along each route to see what might appeal to you.
A good map is a must. There are no signs for the Strada itself, but fortunately, signs pointing to the businesses along the road are better here than in some other parts of Italy. However, the roads are small and one could easily get misplaced.
Calling ahead is also necessary to arrange visits to many of the places along the road, but don't let that be an obstacle. Everyone we met here was friendly and happy to talk about what they do.
Strada dei Sapori Casentino
We spent our visit in October, 2012 along the road in the Casentino Valley. It's a pretty valley, with a lightly busy main road that wanders from town to town past chestnut- and oak-covered hills.
This little-touristed part of Tuscany is an especially good destination for anyone who complains about how crowded places like Pienza have become. People in Casentino are happy to receive visitors and you'll find lots of opportunities for one-on-one interactions that have long ago disappeared from the mainstream tourist spots.
Next on Page 2: Products and Foods of the Strada dei Sapori Casentino
