All the tips for traveling in the Valdarno area in Tuscany. What to visit, which artistic and architectural beauties not to be missed and where to shop obviously.
My city Florence is beautiful but it can be tiring: very crowded with tourists and already very hot. If your holiday allows it, I recommend a detour not too far away, low cost and highly satisfying.
You will need to have a car with you, however, otherwise travel will become difficult. The destination is the area around Reggello: if you have reached Florence from the south, on the A1, you may have noticed this name at the Incisa exit. We are in Valdarno. After leaving the motorway at Incisa, take the Reggello, along a road that climbs slightly between typically Tuscan-looking fields and country houses, some with a typical parallelepiped shape dominated by a dovecote: they are examples of rural architecture built as part of the agrarian reform wanted by Grand Duke Leopold II of Lorraine, in the early nineteenth century.
Going up you will notice on your right of the curious ocher clay formations that are called Balze. They extend in this area, between the provinces of Florence and Arezzo and are high and spectacular pinnacles of rock, at times almost canyons that are nothing more than deep valleys carved by the waters that submerged the vast plain of the Arno in eras prehistoric. The Balze area is a protected area of local interest (ANPIL) and can be visited thanks to paths and routes for which the Municipality of Reggello can give you information.
If you prefer art to nature, head to Cascia, a hamlet of Reggello that is totally centered around the beautiful Romanesque church.
Now I am a bit biased because I really like the ancient churches, in their extreme simplicity and brightness; but the Parish of Cascia, dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul, it is very ancient, dates back to the XNUMXth century and is worth a visit. The decorations are sober and an integral part of the structure: the columns, the capitals, the pietra serena bell tower; however the church is famous for the Triptych of San Giovenale by Masaccio. In Florence there are many works by Masaccio, an extraordinary Renaissance artist of Valdarno origin whose first known work is this one from 1422. 
The Triptych is very precious and is in the church, while the Museum of Sacred Art adjacent to the church has a ticket that costs 3 euros. The excursion can continue until you reach the town of Reggello, characterized by a small historic center. The stop that I recommend, however, is right next to the Pieve di Cascia and is called Masaccio restaurant. In warm weather, the space outside the restaurant - the sidewalk in a pedestrian area - is occupied by tables and dining out is really pleasant. At Masaccio's you can also eat pizza but their specialty is fish. Now I know that the sea is far from here ... but it's really worth it. This option is not really low cost and the average cost is around 28/30 euros, that is how much you would spend in Florence (obviously it changes a lot depending on which fish you choose).
You dine outside, in fact, with a view of the illuminated Pieve. A nice experience.
I don't feel like omitting another MUST in the area: after exiting the A1, take to Leccio (towards Florence) and you will reach a very famous outlet, The Mall, where you can buy all the big brands at bargain prices: Gucci, Armani, Valentino, Zegna, Dior, Tod's… even here you can find the best of low cost.
