The ANPIL of S.Brigida, established by the Municipality of Pontassieve in 1997, extends for a little more than 800 hectares: it is located in the south-western part of the mountain complex of Monte Giovi, a mid-mountain group, which reaches a maximum height of 992 m above sea level, forms a pre-Appennine chain with an east-west trend and constitutes the central-eastern portion of the watershed between Mugello (to the north) and Valdarno (to the south).
The protected area is located immediately behind the town of Santa Brigida, at the northern limits of our municipality, a few kilometers from Florence, and affects the southern and western slopes of Poggio Ripaghera and Poggio Abetina, including, to the east, the cool and shady Valley of Hell.
At a maximum altitude of 914 metres and a minimum altitude of 400 metres, the area has several plant and tree species and a considerable wealth of wildlife. The A.N.P.I.L. symbol is Cistus Laurifolius L. (flower of the Madonna) that finds here the only presence in Italy and that in spring brightens the landscape with its white flowers. The beauty of the area is also enriched by the burraie, a small heritage of the past, stone buildings where until the first half of the last century butter was made.
Inside the area there is also the Sanctuary of Madonna del Sasso, a devotional complex that lays its roots in the depths of history.
