On Foot or by Bicycle in the Battle Locations

 

A pleasant and easy route under the fortified walls to discover the locations of the Battle of Anghiari.

 

A walking or cycling itinerary that starts from the historic center, with a mandatory stop at the Battle and Anghiari Museum. There, you can find information to learn about the historical event and the artistic aspect of Leonardo Da Vinci's famous lost work, along with many insights to ensure a conscious and memorable experience.

The route is easy, with only one climb on the way back: the more trained can choose to complete the entire route, from Anghiari to Sansepolcro and back (about 16 km), but everyone can enjoy the pleasant walk of about 60 minutes, descending from Anghiari to the Maestà della Vittoria, the precise location where the league led by the Florentines defeated the Milanese of Filippo Maria Visconti on June 29, 1440.

During this short itinerary, you can have extraordinary experiences: exit through the walls of Anghiari via Porta S. Angelo, walk along the road under the imposing fortifications of the historic center, and descend further toward the plain along the famous straight road built in the late 1300s, a silent witness to the battle, which still connects Anghiari with Sansepolcro. Finally, you will reach the plain, where the historic tobacco plantations (in Valtiberina, tobacco cultivation has been documented since the 16th-17th century) still produce the raw material for Tuscan cigars.

An attentive eye will discover the ancient Byzantine church of St. Stephen, traces of Roman centuriation, and the living testimony of the so-called “married” grapevine, which grows on trellises of plants. A little further ahead, you will encounter one of the ancient mills, now out of use, built on the Reglia stream, which was crucial for the outcome of the battle. Walking along it, surrounded by cultivated fields, you will reach, from behind, the Maestà di S. Maria.

This small chapel, built in 1441 to commemorate the victory, is the starting point of a mad foot race to the historic center, the Palio della Vittoria, which is held every year on June 29. From the Maestà, a panoramic view opens up over the hill where Anghiari rises, one of the most evocative points from which to observe it. The route for more experienced walkers or cyclists continues along dirt roads toward Sansepolcro, the departure point of the Milanese soldiers, skirting the Tiber River, which here, newly born, is lush, clean, and lively.

For more information or to book an experience in the Battle locations accompanied by a guide, feel free to call the museum, and we will be happy to provide every detail.

It is also possible to request the GPS track of the route.

For more information, contact us here.

Download the map of the Museum and the battle locations

 

EXTRA!

This itinerary through the battle locations intersects with the route of one of Italy's most important historical cycling events, L'INTREPIDA, held every year on the third weekend of October.