A lunar soil in Tuscany
![](https://www.casalelagora.it/wp-content/uploads/Balze-del-Valdarno-Castelfranco.jpg)
MONA LISA’S LANDSCAPE
Is nothing new: also Leonardo (Da Vinci) knew them and he also painted them in his famous portrait “La Gioconda”. “Le Balze” are one of the most interesting and unusual landscape features in Valdarno. They are the remains of an lake of the Pleicene and Pleistocene that occupied the current Valdarno and that has slowly dried up.
DURING THE SECOND WORD WAR
Inside the Balze caves have been excavated, some of which even consist of 12 rooms, which served the population as a refuge. They could hold up to 100 people. It is not easy to access, both for the danger and because they are not easily identifiable.
MOONLINGHT WALKS
It is particularly suggestive to follow the Balze route at night, with just the moon light. But even in the morning it is worth walking between these stunning ochre, grey and brown peaks. It is a warm lunar landscape.
Photos from the web