02 VALLOMBROSA

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VALLOMBROSA

Photography:
Karl Artur Kangur

A sincere thank you to the people of Vallombrosa, including the Carabinieri Forestali and the staff of the Vallombrosa Nature Reserve.

Your tireless and often underappreciated efforts to preserve the Vallombrosa forests are truly inspiring.

A special thanks to Duccio Baldassini for generously allowing me to use photos from his remarkable archive!

Tucked into the mountains outside Florence, Vallombrosa arries centuries of history in its trees. The story begins with the Vallombrosan monks, a Benedictine order founded in the 11th century. Drawn to the site's stillness, the monks settled here to live alongside nature, and soon began managing the forest with a surprisingly modern mindset. Long before "sustainability" was a word anyone used, they were planting vast stands of silver fir and practicing what would become one of Europe's earliest examples of organized forest conservation.

That legacy took a formal shape in 1869, when Vallombrosa became home to Italy's first forestry school. But by the late 19th century, government secularization policies stripped the monks of their role, and the land passed out of their direct care. Still, their philosophy never left. The values they planted continues to shape how the forest is treated long after they are gone.

Today, Vallombrosa is looked after by the Carabinieri Forestali - a specialized branch of Italy's national police dedicated to protecting forests, wildlife, and the environment. Where the wider Carabinieri corps handles public order, the Forestali focus purely on keeping ecosystems intact and thriving.

Walk through Vallombrosa now and you'll find hiking trails winding through the same woods the monks once tended. That connection between people and this land, started almost a thousand years ago, is still what makes the place feel special today.