View of Castelfiorentino
Ponte a Elsa
Castelfiorentino Basso
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DAY TRIPS AROUND CASTELFIORENTINO
To the North: Vinci, just a few minutes from Empoli and the birth place of Leonardo.
To the South: Certaldo, just a few minutes from Castelfiorentino and the birth place of Boccaccio.
Badia San Salvatore a Settimo: restored following damage inflicted during WWII, this abbey is enclosed by crenelated walls.
Lastra a Signa: still has past of the old walls; nearby, at Gangalandi, of note is the 11th century parish church of San Martino, with 13th century paintings and frescoes.
Montelupo Fiorentino: of note the Museo Archeologico e della Ceramica, in Palazzo Podestá.
Empoli: Palazzo Ghibellino witnessed a council that met to decide the fate of Florence, after its disastrous defeat at the 13th century battle of Montaperti; of note frescoes by Masolino da Panicale in the Museo della Collegiata and in the church of Santo Stefano; also, the local glass-making industry.
Oratorio della Madonna della Tosse: 2 km detour from Granaiolo; of note, chapel that once contained frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli (1484), now in Castelfiorentino.
Certaldo: strongly medieval in flavor, note Boccaccio's house, rebuilt, set high on the hill.
Montaione is an ancient village with a view; it can be reached by a 3 km detour at a fork just past Gambassi Terme; another 4.5 km (from the crossroads just before Montaione) takes you to the convent of San Vivaldo (404 m.), with 20 chapels containing Della Robbia terracottas; it is in the forest of Boscolazzeroni, a nature reserve.
Volterra is a windswept hilltop town, sternly alluring; the atmosphere is medieval, with towers and grey buildings. Relics of the Etruscan origins can be seen at the Museo Guarnacci.
San Gimignano is a perfect intact town of medieval Tuscany: gates, houses, squares and roads, as well as the 14 surviving towers, works by great artists in the churches and in the Pinacoteca. In particular, in the Collegiata, major works by Giuliano and Benedetto da Maiano, Bartolo di Fredi and Jacopo della Quercia.
Colle Val d'Elsatake the Via del Castello to reach the old "borgo", up high. It's the birthplace of Arnolfo di Cambio, born in 1232; an exhibit of his work is located in the Palazzo Pretorio.
From "Italy", by Touring Club of Italy, Marcella Borghi, Viviana Arrigoni, Guglielmo Martinello, Antony Shugarr.
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Tuscan Countryside
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