The Stilicone trail was devised by the volunteers of the Il Crinale hiking group in collaboration with the Municipality of Fiesole, in order to open an easy connecting route between Fiesole and Olmo, to explore on foot or by MTB, in a mostly man-made land rich in historical and cultural cues.
The trail crosses the green Fiesole countryside, home to famous artists, marked by vineyards and olive groves, watchtowers and medieval churches, in a land that was inhabited since the Etruscan Age.
The trail follows in part these ancient tracks even inside the city and it stands out from a nature point of view thanks to a diverse vegetation and the presence of many species of wild orchids.
The idea was born from an historic event: in 405 AD the Ostrogoths led by King Radagaisus invaded Italy from the north and spread with raids and devastation. During nine months the advance guards reached Florence besieging it while the bulk of the Ostrogoths with women and children settled on the Fiesole hills, rich in water springs, while waiting to cross the Arno river. The Roman general and politician Stilicone, with a few men but with clever strategy, split the army in two units and, taking advantage of the basin shaped Mugnone valley, launched the attack defeating the Ostrogoths at Mons Regis, that later became Montereggi. Legend has it that the place name Vetta Le Croci over Olmo recalls the numerous burials that followed the battle.
You can download the trail map, in GPX version too, from the Comune di Fiesole website
Fiesole - Olmo: dislivello salita 475 m, dislivello discesa 325 m
