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Tuscany's Best-Kept Secret | Podere Santa Pia

Like many other Tuscan towns. Certaldo is divided between its medieval walled town on a hill and the modern residential and industrial suburb spread out below.

Certaldo was the home of the family of Giovanni Boccaccio, who died and was buried here in 1375.

Boccaccio's house, of red brick, like the other old houses here, was restored in 1823 and furnished with old furniture. A statue of him was erected in the main square in 1875.

The charming medieval upper town, reached on foot in 10 min or by cablecar from the station in the main piazza (2min). built almost entirely of brick, is well preserved despite some damage during the Second World War. All the principal buildings, as well as some attractive houses, face onto Via Boccaccio.
Half-way up on the left is the Casa del Boccaccio (rebuilt in 1947). with a tower and loggia, which was bought and restored in the early 19C by Marchesa Carlotta dei Medici Lenzoni.

Facing onto the little piazza is the church of Santi Michele e Jacopo. The simple brick facade dates from the 13C and the interior has been restored to original Romanesque appearance. In a niche is an urn containing the body of Beata Giulia.
Next to the church is a small cloister which gives access to the Museo d'arte Sacra inaugurated in 2001 (open daily 10.00-19.00). The museum has some fine and rare works which include: a monumental 13 C Crucifix; paintings by Meliore, the Bigallo master Puccio di Simone and Ugolino di Nerio most of them removed from churches in the countryside around Certaldo.

At the top of the street is Palazzo Pretorio, or Vicariale, the residence of the Florentine governors, recently restored to its original condition, has a picturesque facade adorned with ceramic coats of arms, and in the interior are various frescoes dating from the 13th to the 16th century.

A terraced garden and a walkway overlooking the town walls provide a splendid view stretching from the hills of the Val d'Elsa to San Gimignano.

Frazioni: Fiano, Sciano, Bagnano, Marcialla (in parte)

« Certaldo, come voi forse avete potuto udire, è un castello di Val d'Elsa posto nel nostro contado, il quale, quantunque picciol sia, già di nobil uomini e d'agiati fu abitato »

(Giovanni Boccaccio, Decameron-VI,10)

Ugolino di Nerio, Madonna col Bambino e Santi, Certaldo, Museo di arte sacra

Colle Val d’Elsa is a town on three levels: Borgo, which is accessible through the majestic Porta Nuova and is made up of beautiful 16th and 17th century patrician town houses; Castello, or Colle Alta, which still retains its original Medieval appearance and is the town’s religious and political centre; and Piano, or Colle Bassa, which is composed of the ancient hamlet of Spugna, where the town’s wool weavers, paper manufacturers and glass craftsmen made use of the nearby river Elsa. In 1592 Colle Val d’Elsa was made a bishopric.
Along the main street of the Colle section of town, Via di Castello, stands the tower that was once the home of the great architect Arnolfo di Cambio, born in Colle Val d’Elsa. Other important buildings that line this street are the 14th century Palazzo dei Priori – which today houses the Museo di Arte Sacra and the Museo Civico –, and the Baroque Duomo, with a Crucifix attributed to Giambologna above the high altar. In Piazza Duomo stands the 14th century Palazzo Pretorio, which contains the Museo Archeologico. Outside Porta Nuova it is well worth stopping for a look at the Sanctuary of Santa Maria delle Grazie, which contains Senese School frescoes from the 15th century.
Still a major industrial centre, Colle is known for its fine quality, hand crafted crystal ware.

Among the most important monuments to see in Colle di Val d'Elsa we point out here the Duomo (Cathedral), the Abbazia di San Salvatore (Saint Salvatore Abbey), the Chiesa di Sant'Agostino (Saint Augustine Church), the Chiesa di Santa Maria a Spugna (Saint Mary Church in Spugna), the Castello (Castle), the Palazzo Pretorio (Praetorian Palace), the Palazzo Campana (Campana Palace), the Casa-Torre di Arnolfo Cambio (Arnolfo Cambio's House-Tower) and the Baluardo (Bastion).
Palazzo Campana was built from 1539 by Giuliano di Baccio d'Agnolo, but its construction was not completed, the building is in the Mannerist style and its door leads into the picturesque Via del Castello where are some interesting buildings including the Palazzo del Capitano (16th century), the tower-house Marozzi (14th century) and Palazzo Giusti (15th century). From here you enter the Piazza del Duomo.

The necropolis of Dometaia has been the object of research and study since the late 19th century, when the Marquis Bonaventura Chigi Zondadari began digging in the area and found an important sepulchre from northern, inland Etruria and was used from the mid-6th century BC to the 1st century AD. After the creation of the park, some 40 tombs of varying nature were dig up: hypogeum tombs made of more orthogonal rooms with respect to the vestibule and a range of simple tombs, including different kinds of "trench graves" for the common people. The most important hypogeum family tombs of the area were important and considered prosperous because they were placed on fertile soil and in a prime position along major roads, this necropolis is located along an important ancient road, which likely coincided with the Via Francigena. The “Ranuccio Bianchi Bandinelli” Archeological Museum, located in the medieval Palazzo Pretorio, in the historic centre of Colle di Val d’Elsa, gathers material of Etruscan and Roman origin from the Valdelsa area, which was very populated and trafficked in ancient times. The vase that we show here was decorated with the technique of the red figures and is a product of the workshop of Pittore di Milano, who worked in Volterra in the late 4th century BC. He was often commissioned to work during symposiums; a fact that can be confirmed by the Dionysus-like motifs on the vase, which show an entourage of Satyrs and maenads. The object, which was found in the room of a tomb in the Dometaia necropolis, is one of the most noteworthy pieces in the ancient burial ground due to its excellent condition and the richness of its decorations. Together with other elements of the tomb and the materials used in the tombs, it is important to note how the Valdese area, and more specifically this zone of the area, was scattered with important transit roads, already in the Etruscan age. The roads were then re-paved and re-used in subsequent eras, and today they represent the "Sigeric" section of the Via Francigena.


Frazioni: Bibbiano, Borgatello, Boscona, Buliciano, Campiglia dei Foci, Castel San Gimignano, Collalto
Dometaia Gracciano d'Elsa, Lano, Le Grazie, Le Ville, Mensanello, Montegabbro, Molino d'Aiano, Onci, Partena, Paurano, Quartaia, Sant'Andrea, Scarna

The Montespertoli area has always been directly involved in the history of Florence. The lands of the Borough of Montespertoli have always played a crucial role, since the ancient Etruscan age, thanks to their road network that helped Florence trade with Volterra and Siena along the Via Volterrana, which crossed the borough of Montespertoli from north to south and joined the Via Francigena near Certaldo.

The Church of San Piero in Mercato and the village of Lucardo are the oldest settlements of the Montespertoli area and were established in the early Middle Ages. The church houses the Museum of Sacred Art.
The Parish of San Piero in Mercato has recently been enriched with precious paintings, silverware and wall hangings and it currently houses the Museum of Sacred Art.
The museum was conceived to gather the works kept in the churches of the area, to preserve them and make them available in one single place for all those who want to admire them.
For instance, all the works coming from the parish of San Piero in Mercato are gathered in the hall: one board by Neri di Bicci, a XVI-century "Madonna col bambino tra i Santi Pietro e Paolo" and a ceramic by the della Robbia representing "San Gerolamo nel deserto".
Moreover, there are also the works coming from the churches of Santa Maria a Mensola, of San Giusto, of San Giorgio and of San Lorenzo a Montalbino, such as the XV-century triptych by Cenni di Francesco, the "Madonna" by Andrea di Giusto and two boards by unknown artists who came from the Sienese and Florentine schools. A board portraying the "Madonna col Bambino" attributed to Lipo di Benivieni or to one of his pupils, and a "gemellion", namely a XIII-century couple of plates used for the washing of the hands, that evidences a French influence in the Valdelsa, represent the patrimony of the church of San Lorenzo a Montegufoni.
The second room is completely dedicated to the churches of Santa Maria a Torre and of San Bartolomeo a Tresanti, with XVII- and XVIII-century works. The works belonging to the parishes of Coeli-Aula and of San Pancrazio are exposed in the third room. The "Madonna col Bambino" by Filippo Lippi, which is considered one of the museum's jewels, comes from the latter churches. A marble font, the Triptych by Bicci di Lorenzo and numerous pieces of silverware further enrich the third room.

The Castello di Sonnino stands beside the village of Montespertoli and is owned by the Sonnino family, but it once belong to the Lords of Montespertoli, a branch of the Counts Alberti da Mangona.

In 1393, the family became extinct and the possessions of the Lords of Montespertoli passed to the Machiavelli family. The properties of the Macchiavellis stretched over almost two thirds of what is today the Borough of Montespertoli and the family donated several works of art to local churches, enriching them with remarkable masterpieces.

Address: Via Volterrana Nord, 6, 50025 Montespertoli (FI)

Frazioni: Montagnana, Baccaiano, Martignana, Ortimino, Montegufoni, San Quirico, Lucardo, San Pancrazio, Anselmo

Montespertoli - Itinerario | Montespetoli - San Pietro in Mercato - Bivio cimitero Tresanti - Voltiggiano - Bivio fattoria Oliveto - Ortimino - Coeli Aula - San Prospero - Montespertoli | www.empolese-valdelsa.turismo.toscana.it

The stone hamlet of Castiglioncello Bandini crowns one of the rolling hills of the Maremma area of Tuscany and still maintains an old-fashioned, rural way of life. Podere Santa Pia is situated in an extremely panoramic position with expansive views overlooking the Valle d'Ombrone. The primitive and unspoilt nature of the Maremma surrounds you, and the emotion provoked by such a suggestive landscape will open up previously-unknown sensory horizons inside you.

[1] Photo by Zyance, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license.
[2] Photo by Stefano Mara, published under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) license.