"Nestled in the mountains, in the Sambro valley, a small jewel stands out among the woods, still preserving traces of the past on its stony body ...."
Qualto is perhaps the oldest village in the Municipality of San Benedetto Val di Sambro; scholars mention the land of Aqualto as early as 1094. Its origin dates back to the Middle Ages, when the walls of a fortified castle surrounded the today’s church of San Gregorio Magno. Built in 1300, it is dedicated to the Beata Vergine del Carmine who protected Qualto from the plague in 1630.
Surrounded by centuries-old chestnut groves, its isolation in the woods, at over 700 meters above sea level, allowed Qualto to partly preserve the original aspect of wild beauty, formed over the centuries: stone walls, roofs of slabs and ancient architraves characterize many buildings and take us back in time, making us still breathe the medieval era magic atmosphere.

Following a dream and the tales told by the elder people, Cesare Agostini and Franco Santi, two simple enthusiasts, spent years looking for an ancient Roman road, built to connect Bologna to Arezzo, which folk tales wanted to pass along Pian di Balestra plateau. In 1979 their efforts were rewarded by the discovery of an ancient paving on Mount Bastione at 1190 meters above sea level, 6 km away from Madonna dei Fornelli. More segments were rediscovered later, corroborating their theories. Today, a great scientific debate concerns this road still, but nothing can detract value from this incredible discovery, huge stones that Roman legionaries and pilgrims of the Middle Ages walked, as modern hikers are doing today. An incredibly suggestive place to discover, deep in the green of the forests between Bologna and Florence.

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