While I was finally able to get to my little house on the hills near Volterra, the stifling heat still persecutes all of us, making us wonder if there are places around where it's not so freaking hot. Thankfully our little homeland has plenty of them, carefully hidden from sight, back in the day, when the safest choice was just to find the most remote location possible. While Tuscany has plenty of charming monasteries that dot our hills, few are more special than the one that for more than a thousand years has been a magnet for men of faith and weary travellers. It's not easy to reach, being in the heart of Casentino, the wooded region tucked between the Arno and Romagna. That's not the reason why this week What's Up Tuscany will bring you to Camaldoli. We want to celebrate a little known fact that changed the course of this country. 80 years ago it was here that a group of Catholic intellectuals hid from the Fascist police to write down the guidelines for a new Italy. Thanks to their courage this country became what it is now: a more or less functioning Western democracy. If you listen to the full episode you will learn how this ancient monastery was founded, what made it so special and how it managed to become bigger and bigger year after year. I will tell you the tale of the 30 courageous scholars, some of whom were very young, how a bishop helped them escape the attentions of the secret police and how their gamble paid off big time. Some of them, from La Pira to Vanoni, from Andreotti to Moro, came to dominate Italian politics until the 1990s. In the last part of the episode I will also tell you of the charming villa where the monks produce some extraordinary wine, the best parts of the Eremo and plenty of travel tips to get the most from your time there. Instead of clashing with millions of other tourists, next time you're in Tuscany, head to Camaldoli for a few days. It's got everything: scenery, atmosphere, great nature, excellent food and wine. On top of that, it's also good for the soul. You just can't beat that combo. Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/larno.it Twitter: @arno_it / @WhatsupTuscany LINKS TO SOURCES (ITALIAN ONLY) https://www.ilbelcasentino.it/camaldoli.html https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codice_di_Camaldoli https://formiche.net/2018/07/codice-di-camaldoli-rinascita-italia/ BACKGROUND MUSIC Pipe Choir - Bom Bom Breakthrough (Instrumental) Zentra - Siege Cityfires - Blood Problems (Instrumental) Pipe Choir - Rocking back and forth (Instrumental) Pipe Choir - Lifeline (Instrumental) Wayne John Bradley - Blues Rock Original Instrumental All released under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License https://soundcloud.com/pipe-choir-2/pipe-choir-bom-bom-breakthrough-creative-commons-instrumental https://soundcloud.com/argofox/zentra-siege https://soundcloud.com/cityfires/blood-problems-instrumental https://soundcloud.com/pipe-choir-2/pipe-choirrocking-back-and-forth-creative-commons-instrumental https://soundcloud.com/pipe-choir-2/pipe-choir-lifeline-creative-commons-instrumental https://soundcloud.com/ayneohnradley/blues-rock-original-instrumentalcreative-commons http://www.pipechoir.com/