This part of the Tiber Valley is right in the middle of the Italian peninsula; in Tuscany, but borders on the counties of Umbria, Marche and Romagna, regions with varied characters which at different times have influenced its history, culture and landscape leaving marks which can still be felt today. It is an area which is between the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic seas. It has a complex story, as it is not only the valley where the river Tiber has its source, a river which has shaped the fertile plain for thousands of years; but it is also mountainous. Actually it is more mountainous than flat, but even in this case it is impossible to give a unanimous definition to the hills and mountains of this area. There is a richer and more fertile area in the Alpe di Catenaia. There, the 'bread' of the mountain folk grow. These have kept the hunger of generations and generations of poor people at bay. The peaks of the Monti Rognosi have such bare vegetation, due to their volcanic origins and the alkaline reaction of their rocks, that the mountains look like they have mange (as its Italian name implies). Then there is the Alpe della Luna, where chestnuts won't grow and where for centuries the main occupation was shepherding and wood cutting in the oak and beech woods. So a type of 'middle land' rich in contrasts and differences, in history and traces of a rural culture which has practically disappeared from many parts of Italy.