L'Antica Filanda

Welcome to the Antica Filanda Hostel!
We are located in the historic center of Santa Sofia, nestled between the buildings of Piazza Matteotti: behind us we have a luxuriant garden - Parco della Resistenza (a tribute to the resistance struggle during the Second World War) - and in front of us the “Bidente” river flows placidly.

We are in a strategic position, between Romagna and Tuscany, where nature and history have always been intertwined creating a lively and hospitable community.

Our structure has a long history behind: the building is part of the possessions of the Mortani-Giorgi family who lived in this land around the seventeenth century. Attached to the palace there was a large spinning mill, since the silk industry had a very significant weight in the local economy.

Our rooms are located right inside that ancient spinning mill, one of the largest active in Santa Sofia in the nineteenth century: here many women found an employment that helped them to improve the economic situation of their families.

We are therefore proud to remember the history of this building: the Antica Filanda is a tribute to what it was and what it represented for this community.

From here, from our roots, we start to introduce you our beautiful territory and all the things it has to offer.

Staying at the Antica Filanda you can discover some little curiosities about the history of Santa Sofia, about the places and events that made us what we are today.

We look forward to your visit!
SANTA SOFIA
CULTURE
Santa Sofia is a small town located in the Bidente Valley, between hills and the Appenines, very closed to Tuscany (Florence can be reached in about 2 hours by car). The proximity to Tuscany has always contaminated traditions and customs of Romagna, from art to gastronomy and today it remains linked to traditions without giving up a look towards the future: from the Campigna Prize to the International Festival of Performing Arts, it’s also inserted in the circuit Slow City thanks to its
gastronomic specialties that emphasize the tourist vocation and the tradition of a harmonious and healthy lifestyle.

Santa Sofia has medieval origin, but today very few traces remain.

With a pleasant walk you can admire the old town, go up to the area of the Castle where today only remain the two access doors, with their beautiful arches, and then you can descend to the banks of the river Bidente and walk along the river path. For tourists there is also another interesting possibility: it is the project "A Spasso”, that with a series of panels accompanies the visitor to the discovery of Santa Sofia, between anecdotes and historical events. For lovers of contemporary art there are two places not to be missed: the Art Gallery "Vero Stoppioni”, with the permanent section dedicated to Mattia Moreni and the Park of Outdoor Sculptures where you can find artworks by artists such as Mauro Staccioli, Anne and Patrick Poirier and the great Arnaldo Pomodoro.

SPORT AND NATURE
From a naturalistic point of view, most of the territory of Santa Sofia in located into the National Park of Casentino Forest, Mount Falterona and Campigna, ideal destination for everyone who loves nature and sports in every season. Just to mention some of the most deserving sites: the meadows of Burraia, San Paolo in Alpe and Pian del Grado and the majestic dam of Ridracoli.

In addition to that, during the winter you can find the small ski resort of Campigna that allows you to practice cross-country skiing, downhill, longsnowshoeing and fun bobsleigh rides. Even outside the borders of the National Park of Casentino Forests, Mount Falterona and Campigna you can find routes of varying difficulty to do by foot, by mountain-bike or with e-bikes: from Santa Sofia you can easily reach less famous destinations, but no less fascinating as Spinello, Camposonaldo, the valley of Biserno and the one that goes from Santa Sofia to Corniolo.

Worthy of a visit is the artificial lake of Ridracoli, born after the construction of the dam and became a place of great natural interest. The Ridracoli Dam is a destination for walking or cycling and, in summer, you can get on the electric boat for a tour of the lake or rent canoes. There you will find a bar where you can enjoy a light lunch, an aperitif and some typical gastronomic proposals of our area.

TYPICAL PRODUCTS
After all these sports activities, there is also time to taste the local goodness!
In Santa Sofia, there is no shortage of typical specialties to be enjoyed at specific times of the year:
• Raviggiolo, a cheese to be eaten fresh, with a delicate taste obtained from the caseification of raw cow’s milk without breaking the curd and then drained on fern leaves;
• the Tortello sulla Lastra, formed by a thin dough made by water and flour, stuffed inside with a tasty mix of pumpkin and potatoes or wild herbs, traditionally cooked on a slab of sandstone;
• seasonal mushrooms like porcini and prugnoli. You can use it to prepare delicious crostini or ragout to dress the first courses (try it in the local restaurant!);
• the products deriving from the processing of pork: the crackling, the sausage "matta" or ciavar (flavored with garlic and sangiovese wine), the bacon and much more..

These are only the culinary excellences of Santa Sofia but here, as we tried to tell you, you can also find history, culture, sport and nature.

All you have to do is come and see us!!!