Florence is surrounded on nearly every side by mountains and hills that, over the centuries, have witnessed the birth - and decline - of many settlements, at times even much larger and more important than Florence itself - such as Fiesole, once a powerful and flourishing Etruscan city.

Even today, many of these hills are home to small villages and monasteries that, although often a bit overlooked by tourists - it is not easy to get noticed when just a few kilometres away there is a city of international reputation - still preserve intact their appeal, housing marvellous works of art, buildings of great historical value or small towns rich in tradition.

One of these areas is Monte Senario, a mountain that can be easily reached in about 35 minutes from Florence, mostly via quiet country roads that often offer broad views of Florence itself and the surrounding hills.

My phone is unfortunately not the best device to take these shots, but I hope the image gives you an idea!

On a hot summer weekend my girlfriend and I therefore dived into the exploration of this place, visiting both the inside of the Sanctuary - which I will show in another post! - and the whole surrounding area.

Once we got there, awaiting us was an ancient basilica whose foundation dates back to 1234 and which is entirely set in a peaceful oasis, surrounded by woods, paths and caves in which some Saints spent part of their lives.

As soon as we got out of the car, we immediately knew that we had arrived in a place with a magical atmosphere, as we were greeted by two beautiful marble statues at the very end of the tree-lined road leading to the Sanctuary.

A little further on, a long stone staircase leads to the entrance of the Sanctuary, where you can find a beautiful - and surprisingly large! - church and the monks' quarters, as well as a nicely decorated bronze door.

Curious to see some of the masterpieces hidden behind this door? In the next post on Monte Senario we will take a tour of the inside, but for now you will have to be a little patient and keep visiting the outside parts of the Sanctuary :)

Coming back from the staircase, we can observe the structure from different angles, discovering also a small, well-kept garden.

The part, however, that my girlfriend and I were most keen to explore was - as usual! - the surrounding woods!

A few steps into the unknown and the first thing we could see was a large cross nestled and almost hidden between the trees.

There are many paths and they all appear to be lost in the midst of nature, further increasing the feeling of calm, peacefulness and quietness.

As we keep walking, we come across several caves where in the past some Saints and Blesseds spent parts of their lives.

The caves are really tiny, narrow, dark and wet.... very difficult just to get good shots, I dare not imagine living there!

Finally, even a small, hidden and apparently abandoned dwelling...

... but with a pretty good view of the valley on the other side of Monte Senario!

Aside from a small snake that at one point ran away when it heard us walking - although not fast enough not to be seen 😱 - it was a really nice and relaxing trip, which allowed us to get some fresh air and a nice breath of clean air while being surrounded by nature.

And if you want to know what the Sanctuary looks like inside, don't forget to read the next post I will publish in the #Pinmapple community :)

Photos made by me or my girlfriend.

If you've read this far, thank you! If you want to leave an upvote, a reblog, a follow, a comment... well, any sign of life is really much appreciated!

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