castelfiorentino alto

Hills of Castelfiorentino

castelfiorentino alto

Pieve di Sant'Ippolito

teatro del popolo

Teatro del Popolo


PLANNING YOUR 2015 SUMMER VACATION?

This cozy, rustic apartment is situated in the hillside town of Castelfiorentino Alto, across the street from the Municipal Library. Castelfiorentino is a typical Tuscan village, with a small downtown area featuring restaurants, pizzerias, shops, banks, pharmacies, hairdressers, grocery stores and a laundramat. The Elsa river divides Castelfiorentino Basso, in two very distinct parts: the old town, that develops within a few blocks from the train station and a more recently built area, across the river.

Via Michelangelo Tilli runs along Castelfiorentino Alto and ends in Piazza del Popolo, with two important buildings: the Municipal Building or Palazzo Comunale, and the Saints Lorenzo and Leonardo Church (XIII century), featuring a wooden cross by Giovanni Pisano (XIV century) and paintings by Giovan Camillo Sagrestani (1711) and Annibale Gatti (from 1870 through 1881).

Nearby the train station, there's a brand new museum, named BEGO, entirely devoted to the frescoes of Benozzo Gozzoli, an Italian Renaissance painter, including "Stories from the Virgin and Chryst" (1484) and the "Visitation" (1490).

Grocery shopping can be done at various grocery stores both in Castelfiorentino Alto (there's one in Piazza del Popolo, right by Saints Lorenzo and Leonardo Church and a "panificio" --place that makes bread or "pane", at the very beginning of Via Tilli) and Castelfiorentino Basso (an excellent grocery store is right across the street from BEGO). For lower prices, groceries, fresh fruits and vegetables, along with electronics and clothing can be purchased at Coop, a large supermarket off Strada Statale 449, direction Empoli-Firenze.

Castelfiorentino Alto, surrounded by ancient walls, during the Roman age had been the settlement of Timignano, built on the Via Francigena, the road that pilgrims from France and England travelled to reach Rome. It was a fortified castle that enclosed on the parish church of Sant'Ippolito, built in 1195. Along the river Elsa, Castelfiorentino Basso, built mostly after WWII, has the train station, an information office, taxis and busses that connect to the mayor cities and towns.

Castelfiorentino is situated right in the heart of Tuscany and the Chianti region, less than an hour away from Florence, Siena and Pisa. The nearby medioeval Certaldo is just 5 minutes away by train and San Gimignano, with its famous towers, is about 25 minutes away. Charming seaside resorts on the riviera, like Livorno, Viareggio, La Spezia, Cinque Terre, Castiglioncello can be easily reached by car or train in approximately 30 minutes. From Livorno, ferries to the islands of Elba, Corsica and Sardinia depart on a daily basis. The apartment has wonderful light and a small terrace from which the Val d'Elsa can be enjoyed. The interior has been restored. Heating and air conditioning are available.

Other locations that can be reached easily from Castelfiorentino are the thermal spas of Saturnia, Gambassi and Chianciano, offering sulfur healing waters and medical services. The beautiful Maremma, Parco dell'Uccellina and Monte Argentario are also easy to reach. A train schedule posted at the train station provides detailed departing times.

International nearby airports Pisa International Galileo Galilei and Florence-Peretola, less than an hour way, are served by major airlines (Air France, Lufthansa, British Airways, Alitalia and others). Rental cars are available at the airports (Hertz and others). Other international airports are in Rome (Fiumicino) and Milan (Malpensa) and require a 2-3 hour trip to Castelfiorentino / Florence. Taxis and busses provide transportation to the train stations (a cab from Peretola Airport to the main Florence train station, Santa Maria Novella, is $20) or directly to Castelfiorentino. The train ride from Florence Santa Maria Novella to Castelfiorentino lasts 45 minutes and costs Euros 5 o/w.

2015 FEES: Weekly rentals Euros 500. Monthly rentals Euros 1.600. Rentals include utilities. A 50% deposit is required. Payment in full due upon arrival.

For more information, please e-mail casatilli@gmail.com.