The Valtiberina (Val Tiberina, Upper Tiber Valley) is a wonderful Tuscan tourist
destination still unjustly off the beaten track. The Valtiberina
forms the eastern border of Tuscany, Italy, where
it meets Emilia Romagna, The Marches and Umbria, and, of course,
it takes its name from the River Tiber (Tivere) that flows
throughout its length and before continuing on into Umbria. It
is a region of open vistas and beautiful Tuscan hill towns with
The Valtiberina was the point of interaction between different civilizations, the Umbrian and the Etruscan, the Byzantine and
the Lombard. The bishops of Arezzo, the "Signori" of Rimini and the
Montefeltro, the popes of Rome and finally the Florentines fought for centuries over these mountains and this valley. The Roman patricians at the time of Augustus discovered the beauty of the area and built several villas.
Feudal lords and abbots came later to construct castles and
monasteries. Michelangelo and Piero della Francesca were born
here. Intact walled towns
such as Anghiari or river centres such as Pieve Santo Stefano, Camaldolesian abbeys and Franciscan convents,
mediaeval country churches and castles reflect the eventful and
turbulent history of the Valtiberina.