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CERTALDO
Giovanni Boccaccio, author of the “Decamerone”, born perhaps in Paris in 1313 but no doubt of “Certaldese” parentage, is buried in the church of SS. Michele e Jacopo. From the cenotaph of the poet begins the visit to upper Certaldo, the castle where the walls still preserve evidence of the past. The evidence is strongly characterized by the dark red of the “terracotta”, present not only in the buildings mostly rebuilt in the 15th century according to the Medieval architectural plan but also in the pavements of the streets. The place to visit is the Pretorio Palace with its façade adorned with coat-of-arms made from glazed “terracotta” and stone. Inside one can find frescos by Pier Francesco Fiorentino, Benozzo Gozzoli and others from the school of Beato Angelico.
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VOLTERRA
The city is located in a meeting point of the strong winds of the north, the swirling winds of the mountains and the churches perched on the summit of a majestic boulder. Its ancient history is evident: Volterra was a great ruling city of the Etruscan people. The Pinacoteca (painting gallery), located in the Minucci Soldaini Palace holds one of the greatest pieces of art from the school of Mannerism. Rosso Fiorentino began his “Deposition” at the age of 26. It’s a painting of fragrant colours; cyclamen, rose, slate-coloured grey, colours of spring still held by winters’ frost. The Archaeology Park and Guarnacci Museum are testimony to the power of the Etruscan period. A visit to the Cathedral (Duomo) and Baptistery should be compulsory, including the Roman Theatre and finishing with a walk along the “Blaze”. Scattered through the town are workshops where local artisans still sculpt in alabaster (Rossi, via del Mandorlo).
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SAN GIMIGNANO
In the Civic Museum of San Gimignano there is a painting by Taddeo di Bartolo proving how little the city has changed in the arc of six centuries. Taddeo, a Sienese painter of the late 14th century, has portrayed Saint Bishop Gimignano holding a miniature scenic view of the city in his arms. It is obvious that today, as in the past centuries, the surrounding city walls, the buildings and the towers still stand out against the hills of Val d’Elsa. This is the fascination of San Gimignano, a prototype of the medieval city at the border between Florentine and Sienese cultures. The museum confirms this, not only with works by Taddeo di Bartolo but also Lippo Memmi (the celebrated “Maestà”), Niccolò di Ser Sozzo, Benozzo Gozzoli and Filippino Lippi. The chapel of Santa Fina, furnished and sculpted by Giuliano and Benedetto da Maiano and painted in fresco by Domenico Ghirlandaio, is testimony in itself. But San Gimignano is famous also for its white wine, “La Vernaccia”. |
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MONTERIGGIONI
Monteriggioni is one of the most characteristic villages of Tuscany, still completely enclosed within its walls: as Dante wrote “within its round circle”. The Sienese built the town in 1203 as a military outpost to protect against Florence. The walls erected in 1213 are the characteristic, measuring 570 meters in circular width, with 14 quadrilateral towers described by Dante as “comparable to giants”. The San Giovanni gate faces Florence, its second and only other gate faces Siena.
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Via Collina, 23 - Montefiridolfi - San Casciano Val di Pesa - (Fi) - tel. +39.055.8244442 - fax +39.055.8244247  |
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