Lower Valdarno is the name of a vast region stretching between Florence and Pisa until the mouth of the Arno river. This populous area presents a typically Tuscan landscape made of gentle hills covered with olive groves and is scattered with numerous interesting Medieval towns housing several examples of Tuscan Romanesque art, such as Calci, Vicopisano and San Miniato.

On July 28th, 1364 the town of Cascina was the theatre of a bloody battle between the Pisan and Florentine armies. Michelangelo immortalized it in a fresco in the "Salone dei Cinquecento", Palazzo Vecchio (Florence), which was lost during the enlargement of the hall by Giorgio Vasari.

A stay in the relaxing Lower Valdarno should include a visit to Pisa, the wonderful town of the Leaning Tower, Piazza dei Miracoli and Piazza dei Cavalieri, and to the interesting church of San Piero a Grado, along the Pisan coast, not far from the mouth of the Arno river.

Lower Valdarno - Towards the Mouth of the Main Tuscan River
Lower Valdarno is the name of a vast area in central-western Tuscany , stretching mainly in the province of Pisa. The region is bounded on the north by Versilia and Lucca plain, on the east by Empoli plain and on the south by Valdera, the valley of one of the many tributaries of the Arno river, the most important river in central Italy. Lower Valdarno includes the municipalities of Pisa, Livorno, Cascina, San Giuliano Terme, Calci, Vicopisano, Buti, Calcinaia, Bientina, Castelfranco di Sotto, Santa Maria a Monte, Montopoli in Val d`Arno, San Miniato and Santa Croce sull`Arno.