Coloured vines add a welcoming touch to the bleak monastery which stands at 1,111 m among the chestnuts and firs of a rugged tract of hills. The Hermitage, a geometrical layout of pan-tiled cottages at first glance, like a holiday village, consists of the individual cells of the Camaldoli monks. They are used to house visitors – you can stay in the one-room, 1,000-year-old apartments. Where the San Benedetto Alps end and the Serra Alps begin the mountain crests overlap and break like waves. The approach roads from the Casentino are extremely pretty. From the Hermitage a high-level walk takes you to the head of the Ridracoli Lake.