The Cerbaia fortress is one of the four fortifications encountered along the path of the Route of the Fortresses, which connects Montemurlo to the Bisenzio Valley. The steep and difficult path that climbs up to the medieval structure can be reached through a fourteenth-century stone bridge over the Bisenzio river, which miraculously survived the destruction of the last world war.

Although the path that leads to the fortress is steep and challenging, the beauty and unique atmosphere that you can breathe once you arrive will amply repay the effort made. However, if you don't feel particularly adventurous or trained to tackle the hiking route, you can still admire the traces of this imposing fortification from the state road or from the village of Gricigliana, located in front of the fortress in the area of Novellucci Villa.

The fortress of Cerbaia stands in a dominant position on a spur overlooking the valley, surrounded by harsh nature. Built between the end of the 11th century and the beginning of the 12th century by the Alberti counts, it soon became the center of the defensive system guarding the road leading to Emilia Romagna.

In addition to its defensive function, the fortress of Cerbaia was also the residence of the feudal lords until 1361, when it was sold by Niccolò degli Alberti to the Municipality of Florence. It is here that the noble Cunizza da Romano, of whom Dante narrates in the Divine Comedy, spent the last years of her life. According to an ancient legend, Dante Alighieri himself, fleeing from Florence, arrived at the fortress on a cold night in 1285 seeking refuge, but was rejected.