The airport in Pisa, Galileo Galilei, is 68 km away. km 68 is Galilei, Galileo Pisa, in airport The away. km 55 is and Vespucci, Amerigo Peretola Firenze- called Florence, in is airport closest The BY AEROPLANE Gambassi. from 10 km approximately are both line; -Siena the along and in are stations train closest The TRAIN BY Firenze. – Montespertoli – Castefiorentino line Direct . and Montaione Firenze, Empoli, Certaldo, Castelfiorentino, Autolinee Sita service bus The BUS BY Terme. Gambassi for directions find will you where Castelfiorentino toward 429 SS the along Continue Sud. at exit and Firenze toward Siena-Firenze, SGC the take Siena, From Gambassi Terme. S.P.until n.4 the find will you where Castelfiorentino, until 429 n. S.S. the on get exit, Ovest Empoli the take Firenze-Pisa-Livorno: SGC the take to from Florence or Pisa Otherwise, Terme. Gambassi for directions find to begin will you Poggibonsi Nord and continue toward where Certaldo, at exit kilometres, 30 approximately After Siena. –toward highway A1 Autostrada the of exit Impruneta Firenze the at begins –which Firenze-Siena SGC Terme from Florence To Gambassi reach CAR BY THERE GET TO HOW : Montaione – Gambassi – –Gambassi : Montaione connects Gambassi to connects , it is possible possible is , it , take the the , take 27 22 17 9 GAMBASSI & SURROUNDINGS 5 4 3 CONTACTS CHIURCHES & SPIRITUAL PLACES &ROUTES NATURE &VILLAGES TOWNS GAMBASSI CHOOSE TO REASONS |TEN TOP10 USEFUL & EMERGENCY NUMBERS MAP The Holy Mount of San Vivaldo San of Mount Holy The Giovanni San of Rectory Pillo Martino, San of Churh Germagnana Cristina, Santa of Churh aCerreto Badia Pietro, San of Churh Montignoso Frediano, San of Churh Gambassi Re, Cristo of Churh Churh Maria of a Santa Chianni, Gambassi Town Gambassi Terme Park, ABollori, Spring Hypothermal Maurizio of grottoes The Volterrana Via Certaldo Castelfiorentino Volterra Gambassi Terme [email protected]

Index Forte dei Garfagnana Mugello Marmi PISTOIA Lido di Milano Venezia Camaiore PRATO Montecatini Terme Bologna Viareggio EMILIA ROMAGNA LUCCA Roma Torre del Lago Napoli Puccini Vinci FIRENZE

Palermo PISA Montelupo

Empoli Pratomagno San Miniato MARCHE Castelfiorentino Casentino

LIVORNO Certaldo

Poggibonsi AREZZO Il Castagno Castellina San in Chianti Lajatico Gimignano Colle Valdelsa Chianti Castiglioncello Monteriggioni SIENA

Cecina

Marina di Bibbona Bolgheri Colline Marina di Metallifere Castagneto Carducci

San Vincenzo Pienza Massa Montalcino Marittima

Val d’Orcia Piombino Follonica

Punta Ala ISOLA GROSSETO D’ELBA Castiglione della Pescaia Maremma [email protected] Go To Index 4

TOURIST INFORMATION OFFICE FIRST AID CAR SERVICE AND REPAIR CENTERS

Via Volterrana 60 Ambulance – tel. 118 Autofficina Auto Tel. 0571 639006 Viale Gramsci 69/d [email protected] Emergency Medical Service Gambassi Terme tel. 0571 69390 tel. 0571 638287 Opening Time April - May Confraternità di Misericordia Autofficina F.lli Giannini from Monday to Friday 3.00 - 6.00 PM di Gambassi Terme Via dei Boschetti 4 Saturday 10.00 AM - 6.00 PM Piazza Roma 12 Gambassi Terme Sunday 10.00 AM - 1.00 PM tel. 0571 638988 tel. 0571 638114

June - September Santa Verdiana Hospital Autofficina Barbieri e Meucci from Monday to Friday 10.30 AM - 1.30 PM Via dei Mille 1 via Meucci 46 / 3.00 - 6.00 PM Castelfiorentino Gambassi Terme Saturday 10.00 AM - 6.00 PM tel. 0571 7051 tel. 0571 632331 Sunday 10.00 AM - 1.00 PM San Giuseppe Hospital Autofficina Giovannoni Mario October Viale Giovanni Boccaccio 16 Via della Repubblica 5 from Monday to Thursday 3.00 PM - 5.00 PM Empoli tel. 0571 650926 Friday 10.30 AM - 1.30 PM / 3.00 to 5.00 PM tel. 0571 7051 Saturday 10.00 AM - 5.00 PM Verdiani Pneumatici Sunday 10.00 AM - 1.00 PM Natali Drugstore via dei Boschetti 12 Dr. Duccini Marco Gambassi Terme Via Volterrana 33 tel. 0571 638166 IN CASE OF EMERGENCIES tel. 0571 638274

Carabinieri – tel. 113 PETROL STATIONS Comando di Gambassi Terme DO YOU STILL SEND POSTCARDS? Via Gramsci 36 Cinalli Alberto - Totalerg tel. 0571.638205 Post Office Loc. S.Maria a Chianni via Matteotti 9 Gambassi Terme Municipal Police Gambassi Terme tel. 0571 638569 Via Garibaldi 7 tel. 0571 638902 tel. 0571.638547 Moncini Rina - Totalerg [email protected] via Morandi 18 BANKS AND ATM Gambassi Terme Fire Department – tel. 115 tel. 0571 631339 Loc. Petrazzi 1 - Castelfiorentino Banca di Credito Cooperativo di Cambiano tel. 0571.64016 Via Garibaldi 14 Gambassi Terme If you see smoke or fire... tel. 0571 638644 Forest Fire Service – tel. 1515 Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena State Forestry Corps Via Matteotti 1 Comando Stazione Empoli Gambassi Terme tel. 0571 74100 tel. 0571 656828

In the event of a gas leak... AGES S.p.a Emergenze fughe gas tel. 800 863256 Useful & Emergency Numbers [email protected] Go To Index 5

TOP 10 | Ten reasons to choose Gambassi

Gambassi Terme in ten chapters - ten stop in Piazza dei Priori, visit the Etruscan Land controlled by the Turks. Nearby characteristic hospitality that has always reasons to come visit, stay and return. acropolis and the Roman theatre, and if Certaldo is another undiscovered jewel in run in their veins. In Gambassi, you can do you love art and archaeology, you’ll find . You should visit it in July, during your shopping in town, or stop at different Rosso Fiorentino, Taddeo di Bartolo and Il the Mercantia festival that celebrates street places, from farms to agritourisms: through 1 | GAMBASSI TERME, IN THE Ghirlandaio waiting for you! theatre, dance, art and handicrafts. the short distribution chain of small local HEART OF TUSCANY Siena and Florence are less than an hour producers, you can discover genuine meats, away by train from the Castelfiorentino cheeses, olive oil, wine, flour, pasta and Gambassi Terme is the ideal destination for station, which is just 10 minutes from 2 | GAMBASSI TERME: A CORNER OF vegetables, and through this food you may a relaxing vacation close to Tuscany’s Gambassi Terme. If you want to enjoy the RURAL AUTHENTICITY! discover a world of people and relationships. great art cities. Let’s start with some lesser-known parts of Tuscany, found in numbers: it’s 18 kilometres from San its small hamlets, we suggest an excursion The territory of Gambassi Terme has never Gimignano, the village with 13 towers, to San Vivaldo: with its Franciscan lost its most authentic rural dimension. 3 | GOOD FOOD CLOSE AT HAND one of ’s most popular skylines. It’s 28 convent, it’s one of the most surprising Over the years, many of the abandoned kilometres from Volterra, the medieval city Jerusalems of Italy, a system of 25 chapels farmhouses have been rebuilt, the ancient Good food is a question of education. famous for its alabaster and impressive built in 1500 to provide worshippers with a vineyards and olive groves have come back You learn to eat well as children, thanks walls that tower over the spectacular Era pilgrimage destination that could substitute to life, and many families have opened to traditions passed down through Valley. Get lost in its labyrinth streets, the costly and dangerous trip to the Holy the doors of their homes, providing the generations, thanks to grandparents with [email protected] Go To Index 6

a vegetable garden, thanks to the flavours 4 | VACATIONS BY THE POOL? you learn about in the kitchen and at the YES, PLEASE! market (the weekly market comes to town on Tuesdays in Gambassi, and on Saturday Do you have no other plans than to bask mornings in Castelfiorentino). You also learn in the sun by the pool? The choices are thanks to the passion of cooks at home or in endless: privacy, exclusivity, breathtaking osterias that work hard to choose the best panoramas, salty water, heated tubs, products, from the mozzarella on your pizza inflatable pink flamingos, suspended to the local ingredients used to revisit atmospheres, the summer sun, the smell of traditional Tuscan dishes. sun cream, dives, splashes, chats under the [email protected] Go To Index 7

umbrella…whatever dream you’re imagining, the entire path in 990. It is between list of proposals and experiences for all ages. you can find it in Gambassi. We can’t two spectacular walks: San Miniato Gambassi means nature and authenticity promise you George Clooney in a bathing - Gambassi, which is 24 km long, and for both you and your children. Have you suit, but for everything else, we’ll bring Gambassi - San Gimignano, which is 14 ever tried to make pizza at home? Gerardo you the best of Gambassi to your poolside, kilometres long. Each route can be walked will teach you, he’s a pasta and dough including yoga lessons, massages, private in one day. If, on your way back, your legs magician! Your children don’t want to follow chefs and babysitters. feel like wood, your feet are boiling and you to the supermarket? Why don’t you visit your body is tired, you have to stop at the the Fattoria Le Caprine farm? You’ll find the thermal baths in the centre of Gambassi best goat cheeses in the area, along with 5 | WE CARE ABOUT YOUR Terme: in addition to specialised personnel, many other organic products, and your kids RELAXATION! a hydro-massage pool, a heated pool, a could have a close encounter of the third sauna and a Turkish bath await you. kind with the goats and learn how cheese Do you need to plan your next excursion? is made. If you like to be together outdoors, Is it too tiring to choose? Do you want to why not try a bicycle tour, a trip to the take a vacation with no worries? 8 | A PLEASANT RETREAT FOR mysterious Grottoes of Maurizio, or a nice Our concierge service is just for you. All we THE ENTIRE FAMILY horseback ride with the Baio Scuro stables? need is a couple of days’ notice and we will There’s something for everyone… and in the find the answers to all your questions! Gambassi and its establishments are made evening, if you want to enjoy an aperitivo for families! Apart from the poolside – we in town, the public park is the ideal place to know we’ll find you there! – we have a long let your children run free. 6 & 7 | THE VIA FRANCIGENA AND ITS THERMAL BATHS

Those who love to walk, excursionists and pilgrims don’t need to read these lines: the Via Francigena is a well-known name and travel experience. But we’ve found that many of our guests know little or nothing about it, so we will tell you a bit (if Aristophanes managed to summarise the Odyssey in just a few lines, can we do it with the Francigena?). Considered the first international arterial road of Europe, recently recognised by the Council of Europe as a Great Cultural Itinerary, the Via Francigena is the path – or belt of roads – that thousands of pilgrims took starting in Medieval times in order to reach and visit the tomb of Saint Peter. Then they travelled on to Puglia, where they could set sail for the Holy Land. Even today, there are people who walk the whole 1600 km, from Canterbury, through France and then along the Italian peninsula. Those who don’t plan on walking the entire way can still follow the route and take day trips to discover one, two or three stops. Gambassi Terme is found on the Sigeric itinerary, named after an English archbishop who documented [email protected] Go To Index 8

9 | ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT YOUR WEDDING CEREMONY?

Gambassi is the destination for you. Are you imagining an event that brings together all your friends, family, and the people in your heart? Is it your dream to get married in Tuscany? Contact us: based on the number of your guests, we can help you find where they can stay, propose a calendar of experiences to have together, before or after the ceremony, provide at-home services to minimise wedding stress…We know you to take care of your reception, from A to Z, also thanks to Cinzia, who has been organising fabulous weddings at her estate for years.

10 | HOSPITALITY IS OUR SPECIALTY

We receive compliments from our guests, friends, regular visitors, and those who return because they feel at home here. This is all thanks to the people, to each smile that represents enormous amounts of work and passion. If you come back, it’s thanks to us, with no false modesty, because we love to welcome you, and because we live in a small corner of Tuscany that, if it weren’t for you all, would forget how beautiful it is.

Your home in Tuscany is in Gambassi, we’re waiting for you! Towns & Villages Gambassi Terme [email protected] Go To Index 11

GAMBASSI TERME A lovely hillside village along the Via Francigena

These thermal baths were recently Thermal baths of renovated, and today, along with their The territory of Gambassi holds numerous It was open war, and Gambassi ended up in health treatments, guests can enjoy a traces of its Neolithic, Etruscan and San Gimignano’s sphere of influence until it Gambassi Terme pleasant wellness itinerary: a Finnish Roman past. Despite the surrounding hills, completely surrendered in 1268. Over the sauna, a Turkish bath, a hydro-massage Gambassi’s population grew thanks to its next thirty years, the Florentines arrived pool, chromotherapy, refreshing position at the junction of important roads: in Valdelsa, and Gambassi fell under their Always known for its healing showers and a relaxation area are the Via Volterrana was used by Etruscans control. Out of all the castles in the area, properties, the salsa di Pillo water Gambassi’s ingredients for a wellness travelling from Florence to Volterra, while the the Gambassi castrum, founded in the 12th only made its great leap toward recipe. Ideal for body detoxification Via Clodia, which Romans followed between Century following the destruction of the first medical recognition in the 1970s, when and destressing, many Via Francigena Siena and Lucca, would guide the footsteps establishment, has preserved the shape of its Gambassi opened its first thermal pilgrims visit them today in order of Medieval pilgrims, and come to be known fortress the longest: it was kept intact until establishment. This water, that appears to release muscle tension after the as the Via Francigena. the beginning of the 19th Century, and is still in nature through fountains, springs and exertion of walking. recognisable in some buildings in the town’s outcrops containing gas which still dot The presence of these circuits determined historical centre. the landscape, has now been channelled These thermal baths are small, but they the nature and organisation of various to the Gambassi thermal establishment, are what Gambassi inherited from its settlements that developed in this corner of More modern streets have developed around near the town park. land, and are a treasure available to the Valdelsa. In the Middle Ages, Gambassi’s the Medieval residential area, including Via Known as the Thermal Baths of the Via everyone: walkers, tourists, passers- central position was the main reason why Garibaldi, Piazza Roma and Via Vittorio Francigena, they are visited especially by and locals. We especially like them many castles were built in the area, for both Veneto, with stores, cafés and handicraft for their mineral water therapies, during the winter, when you really feel defensive and economic aims. The castle workshops. At these crossroads, people from recommended for pathologies linked to the cold and your body is more fragile. of Gambassi was first mentioned in 1037, Gambassi bring their town to life, and this is the digestive and respiratory systems. During the summer, we recommend when Guido di Ranieri, the lord of the fort, where they hold some of the most important These provide anti-inflammatory and literally putting yourselves in the expert sold some of his rights and property to the yearly appointments, like the incredible Palio detoxifying elixirs, which can be drunk or hands of their personnel. They will take bishops of Volterra. At the beginning of the delle Contrade in August. The town park, inhaled, for those suffering from colitis, care of your body with massages that 13th Century, bitter fighting between districts parallel to Via Garibaldi, embraces the centre gastritis, respiratory tract inflammation can be relaxing, slimming, revitalising or broke out all over Tuscany; Volterra and San and its thermal baths, and is the heart of and allergies. for lymph drainage. Gimignano battled for control over Gambassi. summer evenings for both adults and children. & Villages Towns [email protected] Go To Index 12

PERMANENT EXHIBITION OF THE 14th Century, which was rediscovered PRE-INDUSTRIAL GLASS between 1986 and 1991 thanks to six archaeological digs in the small towns In Gambassi, in Via Garibaldi 7, a of Germagnana and Santa Cristina. It permanent exhibition brings together is also confirmed by the international studies and research carried out fame that some master glassmakers between Gambassi and Montaione. from Gambassi attained. The pre-industrial history of glassmaking is illustrated in four Between the 13th and 14th Centuries, sections: the production of glass in Italy, the Val d’ established itself as one the technology of pre-industrial glass, of the main centres for glass production daily life in the production areas of in Italy, and met the demands of glass Gambassi, and the production of glass production from large urban centres. Its along the Via Francigena. strategic position made it open to the spread of new technology; its land was More Info rich in minerals; its numerous forests, + 39 0571 638204 especially in the area of Gambassi and [email protected] Montaione, ensured sufficient wood for firing its furnaces; and its liberal concessions for using its forests helped it to take hold of the market. In 1400, even though a great recession hit the entire The glass of century, and many masters emigrated to the big cities, Gambassi survived as a Gambassi specialised centre for glass production, to the point that one third of its The ancient art of population was employed in this sector. masters glassmakers Gambassi produced home furnishings, glass for dining, but especially glasses – the so-called gambassini – and it’s In the 13th Century, even though no surprise that a certain Domenico Gambassi was a pawn during a season di Iacopo di Maffio, possibly the of conflict, power swapping and claims most well-known master to receive between the Bishops of Volterra and San notoriety, was more commonly called Gimignano, its economy experienced Becuccio Bicchieraio. In Florence, an upswing thanks to the impulse of where masters received important the craft of glass making. The art of assignments, such as the creation of glass making spread widely thanks to coloured glass windows for Santa Maria the cardinal arterial roads of the Via del Fiore, the master from Gambassi Francigena and the Via Volterrana; at made friends with numerous artists, these crossroads, Gambassi was able including Andrea del Sarto, to whom to take advantage of the thousands of he commissioned the so-called Pala foreigners and pilgrims passing by. Gambassi (the original, commissioned for the monastery of Saints Lorenzo e This fortunate season is documented Onofrio di Gambassi, is now held in the by the remains of a furnace from the Palatina Gallery in Florence). Towns & Villages Towns Gambassi Terme [email protected] Go To Index 14

has earned international recognition, a true jewel for those who want to go below the Medieval surface.

VOLTERRA Three thousand years of history, an ancient sedimentation of civilisation Gambassi Terme Gambassi

SAN GIMIGNANO Three thousand years of history. This Neri Daniela Ph: Gimignano, San The Medieval Manhattan is Volterra, an ancient sedimentation of civilisation. Its land is full of minerals; salt the land, is well worth a stop, even just for a and its precious alabaster made it rich; the stroll in its historical centre. Etruscans founded it; here, the Romans built what is now one of the best-preserved If you have time and want to discover more, San Gimignano doesn’t need much theatres in Italy. you can’t miss the Etruscan Museum: here presentation: a UNESCO heritage site since The Middle Ages left the legacy of the you will find the famousEvening Shadow, a 1990, known as the Medieval Manhattan, town’s power with its tower houses, small anthropomorphic sculpture considered

San Miniato San this village deep in the hills of Siena is mighty walls, the Palazzo Pretorio and the one of the world’s most important recognised by tourists all over the world. majestic Palazzo dei Priori buildings. The archaeological finds. In Palazzo Minucci- SAN MINIATO It owes its fame and fortune to its tower Medici conquered it and endowed it with a Solaini, the Pinacoteca di Volterra gallery The white truffle capital of Tuscany houses; thirteen remain standing, and mighty fortress; the Renaissance dotted it holds some true masterpieces, including the continue to define one of Italy’s most popular with noble palaces; the unification of Italy renowned Deposition by Rosso Fiorentino skylines. Those who don’t only want to look came with roads and a psychiatric hospital. and the altarpiece of Christ in Glory by up can put their feet on the ground with its Volterra, this city of earth that rises up from Domenico Ghirlandaio. If you’re fascinated numerous artistic and historical treasures, by Volterra’s alabaster, regarded as Europe’s Known as one of the Italian capitals of including churches and museums. It would finest, you should visit the Ecomuseum truffles, San Miniato is a Medieval town be silly not to visit the Duomo cathedral, or get lost in the Medieval city’s streets, located on three small hills between with its works by Benozzo Gozzoli, Il searching for the last alabaster carvers. Florence and Pisa. Its highest point is the Ghirlandaio and Jacopo della Quercia, or tower of Frederick the Second, built around the unmissable Pinacoteca and the Civic You can reach Volterra by car: it is about 29 1220. It is famous not only for having been Museum, with an extraordinary collection of km from Gambassi Terme, following the Via the prison of Pier delle Vigne, a writer and Medieval and Renaissance paintings. If the Volterrana through one of Tuscany’s most

politician close to the emperor of Swabia sky draws you like a magnet, you can climb Neri Daniela Ph: Gimignano, San captivating landscapes. who died after being convicted of vile the Tower of the Podestà from the town treason, but also for its irreverent profile, hall: at 54 metres, it is the highest tower which almost seems like it is giving horns. in the village, and overlooks a countryside From here, you can enjoy an incomparable artistically decorated with olive groves and view of the surrounding countryside, while vineyards full of Sangiovese and Vernaccia, the village provides fascinating scenes: this area’s most famous variety and the don’t miss visiting the Cathedral from name of San Gimignano’s white wine. the 1300s, where you can recognise the But San Gimignano is not only the Middle Ursa Major and Minor constellations on its Ages, towers and Vernaccia. Contemporary façade, and a stroll in the splendid Piazza art lovers will appreciate a visit to the del Seminario. A great occasion to stop Raffaele De Grada Gallery of Modern and in San Miniato and experience its shops is Contemporary Art, located inside the historic at the end of November, during the annual Santa Chiara Monastery and to Galleria Towns & Villages Towns

White Truffle Exhibition and Market. Continua, a contemporary art gallery that Volterra [email protected] Go To Index 15

defensive role can still be seen in its four Castello di Oliveto corner towers, high walls with Guelph battlements, and the patrol paths on the One of the most ramparts, where you can enjoy a 360° view of the surrounding countryside. beautiful castles Inside, you may find an elegant courtyard with engraved walls and spectacular halls in Tuscany covered in frescoes.

The Castello di Oliveto is a castle built in One of the most beautiful castles in 1424 for the Pucci nobles of Florence, Tuscany, over the centuries it has hosted designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, the numerous figures: three Popes have famous architect who created the cupola slept there – Leone X Medici, Clemente of the cathedral of Florence. Surrounded VII Medici and Paolo III Farnese – as well

Castelfiorentino, Ph: Giulio Frediani by an oak forest and a fertile agricultural as the King of Italy Vittorio Emanuele III, estate, the Castello di Oliveto looks and General Clark, commander of the 5th CASTELFIORENTINO from the train station, the Museo Benozzo like a fortified villa; it was built as a American Army, during World War II. A town hung between Gozzoli museum shows the frescoes and summer residence, to defend the Pucci tradition and modernity sinopias that the Florentine master created property, but especially as a Florentine for two local tabernacles between 1484 bastion against its Sienese rivals. Its and 1490. Another unmissable stop for art lovers is a visit to the Baroque church of Santa Verdiana – the patron saint of Castelfiorentino extends along the Castelfiorentino – and the connected Museo productive valley floor of the Elsa River. di Arte Sacra (Sacred Art Museum), with Perpetually hung between tradition and its illuminated codes, works by Annibale modernity, rurality and industry, this town Gatti, Taddeo Gaddi, and a Madonna with has always been a middle ground, at the Child attributed to Cimabue. A few metres crossroads between the Via Volterrana and from Santa Verdiana, the Church of San the Via Francigena, on the border between Francesco is a rare example of Gothic Castello di Oliveto Castello di Oliveto Florence and Siena. Castelfiorentino, more architecture, a complex from the 13th Century, than other nearby towns, road the wave of whose origins are connected to the presence industrial modernity which, from the 1800s, of the Saint from Assisi in Valdelsa in 1217. on trains and four wheels, transformed both its urban layout and social fabric. Going back toward the centre the steep Via Ferrucci passes through the only door left of In Florence’s sphere of influence since 1149, the ancient walls, and continues to Piazza del Castelfiorentino has never betrayed the city Popolo, in the upper Castello Alto, the oldest of the lily, but it has often changed its skin, part of Castelfiorentino. Here, the Palazzo in step with the developments or implosions del Comune (Town Hall), with its famous of its economy; this is why the town is a Membrino bell tower, counterbalances the dialogue between the Middle Ages, 1700s Collegiate of Santi Lorenzo e Leonardo, a Baroque and 1800s bourgeoisie. From church from the 13th-14th Century that holds Piazza Gramsci, the heart of the Saturday works by Annibale Gatti and numerous market and Teatro del Popolo, one of the relics. If you keep going up, you reach the most important theatres from the 1800s Pieve dei Santi Ippolito e Biagio, a church in Tuscany, cross through the roads of the built at the end of the 1100s, on the hill that Towns & Villages Towns centre. In Via Testaferrata, steps away dominates the entire town. Castello di Oliveto [email protected] Go To Index 16 Certaldo

How to reach Certaldo Alto?

You can reach Certaldo on foot, climbing the steep Costa Alberti and Costa Vecchia; in a funicular, from Piazza Boccaccio in the lower part of Certaldo; or by car, taking Via delle Mura, which CERTALDO in an Augustinian convent from the 1400s; is doubtless one of the most panoramic Boccaccio’s hometown inside, its unknown treasures include a arrivals. In the summer, we recommend wooden crucifix from the 13th Century, a that you visit it around sunset, to fully rare example of Christ triumphant on the enjoy the life of the town, when you will cross. A little further on lies the Museum meet the elderly sitting in the shade House of Giovanni Boccaccio, where of their homes, chatting like in the old Its towers peek out from among the rooftops you can visit a large library dedicated to days, or children flying on their bicycles and compete with the bell towers: from a this writer from the 1300s, with some along Via Boccaccio, and wait for the distance, Certaldo is an elegant hat gracing illustrated editions of the Decameron. moment of dinner. a low hill. It is the warm, reddish colour of the earth of Siena, which it borders on; it holds the charm of a Medieval village, along with the authentic allure of a community that does not only live on tourism. It is famous for its sweet onion and its most celebrated storyteller, Boccaccio, the author of the Decameron, who decided to spend the last season of his life here.

Certaldo has kept its Medieval layout within its walls, but it is different from other centres of Tuscany, as it does not revolve around any central square, but instead develops uphill along one road, Via Boccaccio, toward a spectacular convergence point: Palazzo Pretorio. This is a building from the 12th Century in small In July, you can’t miss Mercantia, a bricks, whose façade still conserves several street art festival that transforms the crests in marble and stone that represent village into pure magic. October brings the families of the vicars that governed the season of Boccaccesca, a wine Certaldo, along with glazed ceramics. Along and food fair that fills the buildings and this road, you may also find the Museo di streets of Certaldo Alto. Arte Sacra (Sacred Art Museum), located & Villages Towns Nature & Routes [email protected] Go To Index 18

VIA FRANCIGENA destination. The Via Francigena was the The European Cultural Route crosses first European interstate, a means of the village of Gambassi Terme important communication that moved art, culture, commerce and languages.

Today, other wanderers follow it: for some it’s the trip of a lifetime; others are drawn Today, we can retrace the ancient Via by faith or new forms of spirituality; some Francigena road thanks to a travel diary. take it to absorb visions, meetings and This was written by Sigeric, an English memorable landscapes. abbot who recorded the eighty lodges, Walking, writes Rebecca Solnit, is how the shelters or inns that welcomed him along body measures itself against the earth. the way back from his pilgrimage to But it’s also a way for people to rediscover Rome, where he had been ordained the themselves as human, together, instead of Archbishop of Canterbury. Written in as individuals: every road holds the traces 990, Sigeric’s diary is now considered an of those who have passed, with an infinite authoritative source that defines the most constellation of variables, chance and will. philological history of the Via Francigena. Along the Via Francigena, all these In the year 1000, thousands of pilgrims constellations intertwine, transforming every took the road to the Holy Land: Western pilgrim’s walk into an unforgettable experience. Christianity went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and prepared to reconquer it with the first Crusade of 1099. People travelled for the remission of sins, for heavenly rewards or simply for personal divine economic profit. The Via Francigena Gambassi Terme is found between the represented a strategic junction of the roads 30th and 31st stops of San Miniato of European faith: pilgrims from the North, and San Gimignano. The stretch from France, followed it to reach Rome and from San Miniato to Gambassi is 24 then beyond, toward the ports of Apulia kilometres, with a rest area and water and ships for the Holy Land. Italian pilgrims fountain at the Pieve di Coiano church. followed it North along the Tyrrhenian San Gimignano is 13 kilometres from coast to Luni, where they set sail for France Gambassi, with a refreshment area at and then took the road to Santiago de the Pancole Sanctuary. Mauro Staccioli, L’anello di San Martino, Volterra, Ph: Daniela Neri Compostela, the other Medieval pilgrimage Nature & Routes [email protected] Go To Index 19

VIA VOLTERRANA The ancient salt route between Florence and Volterra The Church of Sant’Ottaviano in Hills Along with the Francigena, the Via Volterrana is one of the oldest roads in Tuscany. It stretches from Florence to The Church of Sant’Ottaviano in the Hills Volterra for more than sixty kilometres, rising is another recently restored treasure.

and falling over hills through the Val di Pesa, Church of Sant’Ottaviano in Hills, detail It rises up from the first burial place of Valdelsa and Valdera. Ottaviano, who reached Italy in the 6th Century along with Saints Giusto and It owes its second name of the Salt Road, or Clement. The story tells that he lived the Via Salaiola, to the precious white gold in the hollow of an elm tree where the that once followed this route to reach the oratory named after him now stands. markets of the capital of the grand duchy. Today, his remains rest in the cathedral From Saline di Volterra, it climbed up to of Volterra. On its façade, to the right of Volterra, then to Gambassi, where it crossed the entrance, you may find an epigraph the Via Francigena, and then went on to written in an ancient language. It

Castelfiorentino and Montespertoli to reach appears to be a text in uncial, an ancient The grottoes of Maurizio Florence. Kilometres of cobblestone trodden script in capital letters mostly used in by thousands of merchants and animals manuscripts. One possible interpretation THE GROTTOES OF MAURIZIO

loaded with salt. Church of Sant’Ottaviano in Hills of the text is: AN(N)I DOMINI MCCCCII A hermit and PAVOLO DI GU(C)CIO E ANDREOC(C) his world of stone-men The 21 kilometres between Gambassi IO DI BARTOLOMEO ERES(SERO) - in and Volterra, which have been reopened the year 1402, Paolo di Guccio and to excursionists, cross a landscape that will The village of Andreoccio di Bartolomeo built it. If its leave you speechless, with hills and crags Romanesque system contradicts this where permanent installations by the artist Mommialla building date, it’s more plausible that In the thick woods where the Casciani Mauro Staccioli have recently been placed. the two were responsible for some torrent originates, a marked path leads Beyond the Castagno – a breathtaking The historical village of Mommialla, modifications. The name Andreoccio you to a secret world inhabited by stone- crossroad between San Gimigano, Gambassi located near some thermal water di Bartolomeo corresponds to that of a men. Climb down carefully until you reach and Volterra – it’s worth stopping at sources, has been known since the decorator who was active during that a gorge dug by the waters of the cascade; Mommialla and Sant’Ottaviano, where two beginning of the year 1000, when it was period in Volterra. Might he have carved there, once your eyes adjust to the dark, you small Romanesque churches have recently mentioned with the name Mumianula the inscription himself? will find a stone sarcophagus, a totem with been restored. in a deed for farming concession by human features, watched over by other the bishop of Volterra. Traces of it are cement figures and a chorus of sculpted found in the geographic maps drawn heads. They seem like remains from an by Leonardo da Vinci. It lived by means ancient civilisation, but they are from the of the traffic from the Salt Road and its recent past: their history is that of their thermal waters, but during the 1900s it maker, Maurizio Becherini, a construction was abandoned, a victim of looters and worker like his father, a barber and tailor, plunderers. Most of its buildings have father of three children, widow. recently been restored, including the small Church of San Frediano, which Upon his wife’s death, he withdrew to the was first named in 1258. Franciscans of San Vivaldo, where he lived Mommialla Bagni di Mommialla di Bagni a life of prayer, interrupted from time to Nature & Routes [email protected] Go To Index 20

TOWN PARK GAMBASSI TERME The town’s green heart

The town park of Gambassi Terme lies parallel to the central Via Garibaldi, and

The grottoes of Maurizio offers a green, pedestrian alternative to those who want to walk from the thermal baths to time by visitors. Then, the great leap: in Piazza Roma, the heart of summer evenings 1918, Becherini withdrew to a solitary life and crossroads toward the old village. in this very gorge. In just over ten years, he would tame the forest and sculpt stone, Between the 19th and 20th Centuries, the giving life to a sacred place. He built a garden was part of the Sinnai family’s

small chapel and scattered the forest with The grottoes of Maurizio property. It was then passed down to the walkways, statues, niches, saints and Niccolis, who in 1916 began to nurture Christian symbols. He used cement, with BOLLORI the Benestare Park, a naturalist area between plants and precious essences, a collection chicken mesh as rebar, and searched for A HYPOTHERMAL SPRING Gambassi and Montaione. Beyond the valley of natural curiosities from overseas, from shells, buttons and pebbles for the smaller An energy landscape: springs floor of the Casciani torrent and the mineral the villa owner’s numerous trips to the details. Every so often he would go to work and thermal waters spring of Luiano - whose water some tried to Americas and Africa. Due to the Niccoli in the countryside to earn a few pennies, sell for its well-known medicinal properties - family’s financial collapse, the town see his children, and welcome walkers and in the valley floor of the Rio Sanguigno, flows managed to buy the great Podere Giardino pilgrims who came to see him. the salsa di Pillo water, which is the same between 1936 and 1938. Today, in the water used by the Gambassi thermal baths. shade of the black pine, the locust tree The Church didn’t seem to consider the Before flowing into the Elsa River, the spotted with delicate white flowers at the hermit or his sacred grotto much, but in Casciani torrent is accompanied by the signs end of spring, the majestic horse chestnut, 1928 Maurizio defended a healer who was of humans, who have used its waters for the oak and cypress trees, the lives of those denied the sacrament of the Eucharist, centuries: ruins of mills, dams, millponds, coal from Gambassi unfold. and unleashed the fury of the bishop, who holes, mule tracks, a line of industrial bottling treated him like a circus freak: “a certain and the source of an old aqueduct. In spring afternoons or summer evenings, it is Maurizio meant to build a sort of holy cave, filled with voices, children’s cries, adolescent to worship Saint Trinity, Saint Peter, etc. The greatest concentration of thermal water is love and elderly strolls. It’s a beautiful public represented by some absolutely grotesque found near the so-called spring of the Bollori, park, with one of the town’s best sunsets. and ridiculous statues he himself created where the water reaches 23° C. The water of […] destination of excursions by petty and this spring is murky because of the presence superstitious souls or by mocking spirits.” of clay, historically used by local populations for bathing and for treating dermatological He died four years later, in 1932. Today, ailments of domestic animals. The gaseous few traces remain; the forest has devoured emissions that surround it contain hydrogen his art, reconquering it and granting sulphide, carbon dioxide and minor gases. us evocative glimpses of the ruins of a Gaseous emissions and warm water still come completely private archaeology. Searching out of an old exploratory well nearby. for this marginal universe is like digging in the imagination of Maurizio, a hermit and The Bollori spring is located in an area with a visionary, who lived here for thirteen years high concentration of thermal waters; those with no consideration for what was taking that give their name to Gambassi are found Town Park, Gambassi Terme Park, Gambassi Town place in the so-called normal world. in nature throughout the entire territory of Nature & Routes I Bollori, A Hypotermal Spring Churches & Spiritual Places [email protected] Go To Index 23

On the counter-façade, you may recognise two paintings from the ancient church of Saint Jacob: the Virgin with Child on throne with Saints John, Francis, Matthew and Jacob, attributed to Pier Francesco Fiorentino, a painter who studied with Benozzo Gozzoli and collaborated with Ghirlandaio; and also the Madonna with Saints John the Baptist and Girolamo by Biagio di Antonio, a Florentine painter who contributed to the frescoes of the Sistine

Church of Cristo Re Chapel between 1481 and 1482.

CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA A CHIANNI CHURCH OF SAN FREDIANO Gambassi Montignoso

Maybe it’s because of the sandstone, which The church of San Frediano leans against

gives it an ochre light, that the parish church Church of Santa Maria a Chianni the walls of the ancient castle it was of Santa Maria a Chianni seems like it’s originally built inside. The thickness of these always being kissed by the sun. Workers from Volterra were almost certainly summer day, you have the sensation of walls is still visible in the jagged surface to Maybe it’s because of the pines that hide employed – the feudal citizenship that linked finding yourself in the dark, as your eyes the right of the facade, which also clearly it like a curtain, the sombre Romanesque Gambassi to the city of alabaster explains need time to adjust while the atmosphere shows the signs of renovation work: if you rhythm of its façade, the cleanliness of its why – and we even know the name of calls for quiet reflection. observe closely, from halfway up to the roof, plain blind arches, or the road that passes one, Johannes Bundivulus, who probably you can see how the texture of the wall below and forces you to gaze up at it; or engraved his name himself on one of the CHURCH OF CRISTO RE changes. Even though the same alberese maybe it’s for all these reasons combined that capitals inside the church. Gambassi stone was used, it has been laid more the church, a symbol of Gambassi, emerges densely and in smaller blocks. as a solid monad on the stage of this corner And our gaze falls straight onto these of Tuscany. capitals: in the church’s dim light, the This small building has one nave and no austerity of the lines, the monotony of apse. Before the presbytery there is a large It’s a hushed sight: the church holds a the sandstone and the simplicity of the For those coming from Castelfiorentino arch supported by two heavy columns, controlled elegance, typical of the Pisan space with three naves are interrupted by along the Via Volterrana, or the pilgrims which lean slightly toward the building’s Romanesque style that is reinterpreted here the variety of decorative, geometric and coming into town on foot following the Via external walls and are surmounted by with the modesty of the means of a country iconographic motifs at the base of the Roman Francigena, the bulk of the Church of Cristo capitals engraved with anthropomorphic church. It was first mentioned at the end of arches [the more careful observer will also Re dominates on the right, turning its back and botanical motifs. Both may possibly the 10th Century, when Sigeric, the most notice that, although the capitals give way to to the magnificent panorama that opens out come from the ancient church of Pisignano, renowned chronicler of the Via Francigena, the arches at the same height, between the over the Valdelsa on this side of Gambassi. which was mentioned between the 11th and reported on its existence in his travel diary: right and left rows, the columns that support 12th Centuries, but in 1400 it must have Sancte Maria Glan, XX submansio. them are not symmetrical: the ones on the This church was built in 1940, and today already lost its plebeian functions in favour left rest on a rather high plinth, while those is the town’s religious centre. Inside, its of the church of the castle. The church as we know it today must be a on the right do not]. walls conserve numerous paintings from later version, built along with the foundation the 1500s to the 1700s, including Saint Since 1990, the church has permanently of the Castle of Gambassi around 1200. It Nevertheless, the church stands out for its Sebastian Between Two Saints by Baccio hosted the religious community of the may not have been finished in 1224, since the typical Romanesque sobriety, including Gorini, a Florentine painter who made his Family of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, inhabitants of Gambassi were called upon to its very narrow windows that allow little fortune in Sardinia in the 1500s, thanks to a devoted to worshipping the Blessed Virgin

pay a tax that would fund its completion. light through. When you enter on a bright narrative flair of simple but sincere devotion. Mary of Fatima. Churches & Spiritual Places [email protected] Go To Index 24

Since 2011, Montignoso has been recognised by a blind arch. It dates back to 1935, the RECTORY OF SAN GIOVANNI as a diocesan sanctuary and is a pilgrimage same period as the foundation of the Church Varna destination: in the silence and beauty of of Cristo Re in Gambassi: its construction this landscape, worshippers and visitors can was funded by the counts Alessandro and experience spirituality and quiet reflection. Anna Nardi-Dei, along with Count Scipione da Filicaia, but also by the provostry, the municipality and many local families. Stories A few kilometres from Gambassi, in the From May to October, on the 12th told of the presence of ghosts on this very small town of Varna, along the road that and 13th day of each month, evening spot, but this little hillock in Germagnana was connects Castelfiorentino to Gambassi, liturgies are held in memory of the chosen because it is where the ancient church you may find the Canonica (Rectory) di appearance of the Virgin of Fatima. of Santa Cristina, which was first mentioned San Giovanni, a late-Romanesque church

Church of San Pietro in 1356, once stood. with a single nave. Documents attest to its

If it wasn’t for the small cross that stands CHURCH OF SAN MARTINO out where the roof pitches meet, the façade Pillo of San Pietro would say little about its religious function: modest and covered in white plaster, it is easily mistaken for a home, and it seems impossible that for over three centuries it could have held The Crowning Along the Strada Volterrana that goes from of the Virgin by Lorenzo Monaco, one of the Castelfiorentino to Gambassi, not far from masterpieces of the Florentine Renaissance, the sources of salsa water, whose healing now kept at the Uffizi. The altarpiece came virtues have been known since ancient from the monastery of Saint Mary of the times, the church of San Martino appears to Angels in Florence, where Lorenzo Monaco be modern, but its structure could at least took his vows, and when it was given back, partly hide a Medieval framework. Historical the church of Badia a Cerreto received a sources name it for the first time in 1275, but painting by Francesco Soderini, a Virgin it is certain that the place where it stands and Child with Saints Monica and Agostino, was already documented in the 12th Century. dated 1726. Inside, the ceiling with wooden

Church of San Frediano trusses rests on eight pilasters surmounted by capitals in sandstone, sculpted with CHURCH OF SAN PIETRO botanic motifs. The rectangular layout

Badia a Cerreto has been shortened, starting from the Andrea del Sarto, Madonna with child and Saints presbytery. Today, the buildings of the ex- monastery are private residences. existence in 1230, when it appeared among the places damaged by the people from CHURCH OF SANTA CRISTINA Volterra during a military campaign against The ex-Camaldolese abbey of San Pietro is Germagnana San Gimignano, which at the time controlled found along the road connecting Gambassi the territory of Gambassi. Terme to Certaldo. Historical sources tell that the first hermitage was built between In 1577, adjacent to the building, the 1059 and 1072. The Camaldolese stayed oratory of the Compagnia del Santissimo there until 1421, when Pope Martin V Along the Strada Volterrana toward Sacramento was built, where later, the high joined it with the Cistern monastery of Castagno, just after Gambassi, on a hillock altar was later moved. In 1705, the façade Saint Mary of the Angels in Florence. It was crowned by a circle of large cypress trees, was modified, and the perimeter walls were permanently suppressed in 1652, even if sits a small chapel in neo-Gothic style. It’s raised. In 1785 it became a baptismal church. pastoral services have always been held for a small, brick, rectangular building (12x6 Inside, a copy of the Madonna with Child and Church of Santa Crisitina of Church the community of Badia a Cerreto. metres), with a gate in sandstone surmounted Saints by Andrea del Sarto is kept. Churches & Spiritual Places [email protected] Go To Index 25 San VivaldoSan

THE HOLY MOUNT OF of the mystery of the cross. However, thanks SAN VIVALDO to a papal bull from Leone X, which granted indulgence to those who visited it, the Sacred Mountain of San Vivaldo, also known as the Jerusalem of Tuscany, became a substitute pilgrimage destination for all those who could San Vivaldo has always been a place to take a not reach the Holy Land.

The Holy Mount of San Vivaldo, detail stroll: you go there on Sundays, usually after lunch in an osteria or before the afternoon The choice of the bas-relief in polychrome snack; you go there for some shade and the terracotta corresponded to the apostolic fine air, for the silence and peace everyone mission of the Franciscans who, like the other is careful to respect. Because San Vivaldo is mendicant orders, were preaching friars. The primarily a place of faith and pilgrimage. need to make people understand the word of God pushed them toward a language Its origins date back to 1300, when Beato spoken by all, including the illiterate. The Vivaldo, a Franciscan tertiary, withdrew to scenes, faces and details of this Bible of the life as a hermit in its forest. According to poor are realistic, clear and understandable; an ancient text from the 16th Century, he for example, the Last Supper is laden like a lived for twenty years in a tiny cell dug in Renaissance banquet. The expressions are the hollow of a chestnut tree. Twenty years emphatic, the characters recognisable; in the of sacrifice, fasting and hardship. Upon his scene of the foot washing, Judas the traitor, death, his Franciscan brothers built a chapel the last on the left, is scowling and stingily in his name, and in 1355, where he died, grasps the coins of his betrayal. The message erected the church we can see today. is concrete, with a strong emotional impact. In 1500, following the settlement of the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor, work began on a system of reduced-scale chapels, From April 1st to October 31st, the 17 arranged according to the layout of Jerusalem chapels of the Sacred Mountain of San at that time. Inside every little shrine you Vivaldo are open from 15.00 to 19.00 may find bas-reliefs in glazed polychrome on workdays, and from 10.00 to 19.00 terracotta, depicting the scenes of the Passion on Sundays and holidays. of Christ. The creation of a tangible path From November 1st to March 31st, where the stages of Jesus’s suffering could they are open from 14.00 to 17.00. The Holy Mount of San Vivaldo, detail be relived interpreted the Franciscan reading Churches & Spiritual Places

Go To Index

www.thegambassiexperience.com

Booking Office [email protected] Mob. +39 339 35 27 295

Tel. +39 0571 638863 Contacts