TUSCANY LAND OF ART AND MOTORS

The itineraries of “Travelling in ”

itineraries on two wheels itineraries on two wheels first itinerary · - casole d’elsa - - volterra

Volterra / Casole d’Elsa /Pomarance / Volterra first itinerary

The outline of ancient Volterra, the Etruscan Velathri, looms into view perched strategi- cally on a hill lying at the confluence of the Val di Cecina and the Val d’Era. This small town is a pearl of the province ne- stling in a splendid landscape. Its introverted preciousness, an amalgam of historical tra- ditions that stretches back several millennia, arts and crafts linked to the manufacture of alabaster that are unique in the world, signi- ficant architectural and monumental works by important artists, a vague air of mystery that has inspired not a few legends right up to our own times (it is the setting for a part of the horror-fantasy vampire saga Twilight by the American Stephanie Meyer), can all be read in the interweaving of superimposed traces revealed to the traveller in the many layers of its urban structure.

2 3 itineraries on two wheels first itinerary · volterra - casole d’elsa - pomarance - volterra

f numerous stone works testify to the i first settlements in the Neolithic period, it was the Etruscans in the 7th century BC who founded the first nucleus of the town on the hill of Volterra and began to build there in earnest in the 4th centu- ry. The great walls of over 7km in length presumably also enclosed farmland and pastures as resources in case of siege. Also in Roman times it played a significant role: as can be seen from the recent discoveries of the theatre and amphitheatre. In the 13th century, in the Age of the Com- munes, new walls would be built to replace the Etruscan ones. Today, Volterra presents itself to our eyes with the characteristic ap- pearance of a medieval town dom- inated by the yellow-grey colours of panchino, the building stone par ex- Benedetto Giuseppe Viti bought it ice Film Festival. Volterra also fea- cellence which we find employed in in 1850) which contains beautiful tures one of the most beautiful and its walls and streets, its towers and works in alabaster. In 1964, Luchi- best-preserved Etruscan arches, the mansions. no Visconti used its rooms to shoot famous Porta dell’Arco, which es- Restrictions on industrial and com- Vaghe stelle dell’Orsa a film which caped the destruction ordered by mercial development have saved it won the Leone d’Oro at the Ven- the retreating German troops in from dangerous building specula- WWII thanks to the initiative of the tion, so that the modern city is al- citizens who bricked it up making most completely enclosed within it unusable. A staircase of 251 steps the 13th-century walls with its most leads from the centre of the town to important monuments. The Cathe- dral, dedicated to the Assumption, the Docciola Gate built along with built around 1120 on top of the an- the walls of 1200 to defend an im- cient church of Santa Maria. The portant spring. And there is much Baptistery of San Giovanni built in more to admire along the little cob- the second half of the 13th century bled streets or perhaps sharing with embellished by elegant alternating the Volterrani their traditional sun- stripes of white and green stone. set Stroll over the Bridges which The Piazza dei Priori, on whose offers a breath-taking view of the surface was planted, according to Tuscan countryside as far as the sea an ancient German custom, an elm, or visiting the unmissable museums: under which the elders and consuls the Guarnacci Etruscan Museum, gathered to legislate. The Palazzo the already-cited Pinacoteca Civica, dei Priori. The Medicean Fortress. the Museum of Sacred Art, and the The tower houses. Elegant Renais- Alabaster Ecomuseum. sance mansions including Palazzo Minucci (today Solaini) seat of the CASOLE D’ELSA (SI) Pinacoteca Civica (art gallery) of A small town of Etruscan origin Volterra, and Palazzo Incontri-Vi- defined by beautiful walls of an ti, from the names of the two fam- ovoid shape lying a little above 400 ilies who owned it (Attilio Incontri meters on the back of a hill from had it built at the end of the 1500s, where the view ranges over a post-

4 5 itineraries on two wheels first itinerary · volterra - casole d’elsa - pomarance - volterra

race of swine, the Cinta Senese, hap- pily saved from extinction. However, there are plenty of woods of turkey and downy oaks too, as well as chest- nut groves alternating with grass- lands and clearings. The name Casole seems to derive from the Latin casula “hut”. In the town you can visit the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria Assunta, the Church of San Niccolò and the Archaeological Museum and Colle- giate, in addition to the Rocca Sen- ese which is now the Town Hall. Every year on the second Sunday of July, the Palio is run, a race that is dering Casole Val di Cecina for 45 happen until the first experiment “Roman-style” or “long”, not in a metres. We are among the hills of of 1904. The Geothermal Museum Anyone who talks of circle like that of Siena. The particu- Volterra in the so-called “Valley of is open to visitors Volterra mentions larity of this race is that it takes place of the Devil” in a landscape that is throughout the year and entrance is Alabaster… on a sloping track which makes it among the most evocative charac- free. Further sites meriting a visit in particularly challenging for both the terized by geysers and hot springs. Pomarance are the Parish Church of The alabaster of Volterra, horses and the jockeys. And that is The Sillana fortress, which the ar- San Giovanni Battista embellished namely, the kind extracted at not the only oddity: it seems in fact chitect Giuliano da Sangallo re- by paintings of Cristofano Ron- , is chalky that in this Palio it was not the “con- stored in 1386 by intervening on calli and Niccolò Cercignani, Piazza alabaster. It formed through a long process of sedimentation trade” – the neighbourhoods – that a pre-existing structure, perfectly della Pretura, and the 19th-century took part as in Siena, but “fattorie” visible from a great distance, dom- and concentration of calcium mansions of Via Roncalli including sulphate contained in seawater inates from a strategic position its card landscape of the surrounding i.e. farms, those same ones that the Casa Bicocchi. thatdeveloped in the Miocene. Montagnola Senese. This territory horses and jockeys came from. It is territory of lush woods and forests, The result is a white stone char- including the remarkable Monteru- between Casole d’Elsa, Monterig- no coincidence that the saint it is acterized by a soft consisten- foli forest with its beautiful spring- gioni, Siena, and Sovicille, inhabit- historically dedicated to is Saint Isi- cy that makes it easily worka- time blooming of tulips, daffodils, The Palio of Pomarance ed since Etruscan and Roman times, dore, the patron saint of farmers. ble and therefore particularly and bluebells. Fallow deer, wild adapted to the realization of constitutes a natural and historical Finally, a last literary curiosity: here, A unique event of its kind to be precise in the hamlet of Grac- boars and wolves, several bird spe- complex ornamental patterns heritage of inestimable value dotted in the world. ciano, Carlo Cassola set his novel La cies, birds of prey, all find a home and detailed reproductions of with castles, mansions, villas, and ragazza di Bube. and security among its vegetation. the human face. gardens, but also peasant buildings, The forest contains the “Villa of The Etruscans developed their hermitages, parish churches, chapels In homage to the Tuscan tradition, elaboration of alabaster which POMARANCE (PI) a Hundred Rooms” built on the and shrines linked to the presence on the second Sunday of Septem- they would stain with mineral Situated in the province of on ruins of an old medieval castle. of the Via Francigena, (the ancient ber also in Pomarance a Palio takes substances or cover with thin the route from Volterra to Massa Pomarance is a geothermal resort sheets of gold. The most pre- medieval Pilgrim’s way that united place. Four districts participate in Anyone who talks of Marittima and the sea, and bor- par excellence, and the exploitation cious alabaster, the purest kind, Canterbury to Rome and then on of the endogenous steam strongly the contest: The Centre, Gelso, Mar- was used to construct and dec- Volterra mentions towards the ports of Puglia and the marks its landscape with its metal- zocco and Paese Novo, who compete orate sarcophagi and cinerary the Balze… Holy Land. A real highway for cul- lic tangle of steam ducts. News on for the coveted standard. However, urns whose technical excellence tural exchanges, but also commerce) geothermal phenomena have come the way the contest is run is any- and artistic quality can be ad- The famous “balze” are situated and even grottoes due to the calcar- down to us from antiquity. The ex- thing but traditional: no horses, no mired in the local Guarnacci on the south-west of the Volterra eous nature of the soil. The Mon- jockeys, no race, nothing of the usual Museum. hill. This phenomenon, the result ploitation of geothermal energy for tagnola Senese is a Site of Com- equestrian competitions. The chal- During the Middle Ages and of landslides and progressive ero- industrial purposes in the Larder- the Renaissance this craft fell munity Importance, a real paradise lenge between the districts is played sion phenomena characteristic of ello world centre and the historic into decline to then resume in clay soils, undeniably presents a for lovers of nature and those who site of geothermal energy (named out in theatrical performances! The the 17th and, especially, the 18th spectacular outcome with a cu- love to enjoy it in all its forms. An in honour of the French engineer old square known as the Piazzone and 19th centuries, when there taway view of vertical walls ori- intricate maze of paths marked by Francois Jacques De Larderel who turns into an open-air theatre, each was a real revival of Volterra’s ginated by the collapse, characte- the CAI ensures it is easy to visit. It promoted the exploitation in the district, starting from a free theme, alabaster craftsmanship which rized by the typical morphology is the evergreen and holm oaks that 19th century) dates back to 1700 for stages the performance it has devel- attracted attention worldwide. with its crags. predominate. The holm oaks are the the production of boric acid, while oped for which it has produced the habitat in which survives an ancient the production of electricity did not scenery, costumes, tricks, and music.

6 7 itineraries on two wheels second itinerary · volterra - montecatini val di cecina - - - volterra

Volterra / Montecatini Val Di Cecina / Bolgheri / Castagneto Carducci / Volterra second itinerary

This second itinerary also seems to have been born deliberately to be travelled on two wheels. It starts from the hills of Volterra to reach the sea of Tuscany at Castagneto Carduc- ci, and then climbs up to Bolgheri. Anyone who arrives in this part of the Region cannot not take the long avenue of cypress trees that leads to this enchanting place. The roads inside are accessible only on foot but well worth it, while generous spaces are availa- ble to park our two-wheelers. Throughout the route, there are numerous points of great interest where it is possible to halt and take pictures to recall this holiday. The km are not many but in each of them the traveller has the possibility to discover unique things that can only be admired in the land of Tuscany.

8 9 itineraries on two wheels second itinerary · volterra - montecatini val di cecina - bolgheri - castagneto carducci - volterra

o problem as regards Pozzo Alfredo, the entrance to the dates back to the year One Thousand, refuelling, there are mine with the technical and admin- the urban centre developed in a pat- n many filling stations istrative offices and the Muraglione tern of concentric rings. In Via Car- along the way. During Dam. In its various themed rooms, ducci, at numbers 2 and 59 respective- this journey you will the Museum offers a glimpse of the ly, are the Carducci Museum Archive discover some of the best food and wide range of underground resources - Literary Park and the small museum wine this wonderful region has been that since antiquity have been exploit- to the poet “Casa Carducci”. In 1907, able to bring to unique levels over ed in Val di Cecina: the extraction of the village decided to re-christen itself the course of time. copper in the various mines, the eter- Castagneto Carducci to pay homage to the first Italian poet to receive the No- century and Montecatini Val di Cecina nal importance of rock salt, the elab- MONTECATINI VAL DI CECINA (PI) bel Prize for Literature in 1906. This became the largest copper mine in Eu- oration of alabaster, mosaics obtained Nestling in the so-called “Valley of year it is celebrating 110 years since rope. Here was born the homonymous using chalcedony, a rich collection of the Devil” in the wooded landscape the poet’s death with a series of initi- company Montecatini, one of the ma- minerals, and much more besides. of the , just 16km atives, starting from 8 March, aimed jor European industrial groups, which from Volterra bordering Pomarance, at enhancing lesser known and more later merged into Montedison. At the BOLGHERI (LI) up until the 11th century, this village intimate aspects of his life. th It is impossible to forget Carducci’s po- was called Monte Leone. The castle beginning of the 20 century, mining etic suggestion “cypresses that run to Bol- of Montecatini, Castrum Montis Le- ceased and, in 1911, exploitation of de- gheri from San Guido in double rows…” and a mansion here. The Castle, men- onis, was built by the Belforti family posits of rock salt began. Bolgheri (the name seems to derive tioned for the first time in a document around 960 when they came from of 1158, has endured fires, looting and Germany in the retinue of Emperor from a military settlement of Bulgars who were allies of the Lombards) lies remodelling over the course of the cen- Otto I. Through the ancient gates Museum of the Mines turies. Today its red bricks bid welcome and strolling through the narrow on the famous 5km-long Viale dei Documentation Centre to the visitor who wishes to enjoy the alleyways of the old centre we reach Cipressi, edged by tall cypress trees, pleasure of strolling among the charac- the beautiful Piazza del Castello of Montecatini that takes you from the Via Aurelia teristic houses in stone and brick and overlooked by the Church of San Bi- right up to the gates of the old town. the characteristic craft workshops. agio from 1356 and the coeval Pala- Linked to Castagneto Carducci, it zzo Pretorio. Inside the church, two Housed in the 14th-century Palazzo stands in the centre of the Leghorn Nature lovers will appreciate Bol- niches above the choir hold two ter- Pretorio this is part of a visit that in- on the last foothills of the gheri’s wildlife refuge, 500 hectares racotta statues, the work of the Della cludes the extraction site of Capor- Colline Metallifere. The Della Gherar- between the and the Robbia family, depicting Saint Blaise ciano (between 1827 and 1907 the desca Counts dominated the place Tyrrhenian railway line. In 1959, this and Saint Sebastian. The Palazzo richest copper mine in Europe) with since its foundation and had a castle was the first private-sector natural Pretorio features a beautiful façade oasis in and since 1968 has been lightened by a portico with cross protected by the WWF. vaults and round arches on elegant The Italian saying “In every town you Ionic columns. The entire town is visit you will find wonders of food and dominated by the Tower of the Bel- wine” is a certainty in our beautiful forti, an 11th-century construction. country, and the red wines of the Bol- with a quadrangular escarpment gheri area are famous and for the most base, thick walls, and no battlements. part sport the “Bolgheri DOC” label. At the end of the 1960s, it was bought by Emilio Jesi who entrusted its res- CASTAGNETO CARDUCCI (LI) toration to the rationalist architect This small town perches on the top of a and designer Franco Albini. hill dominated by the castle of the Del- The economy and also the fame of la Gherardesca Counts and was once Montecatini is linked to the mining enclosed by walls of which the part of copper. Already practised by the facing the sea survives, and that to- Etruscans who forged utensils and gether with the Church of San Lorenzo furnishings from it, its period of max- is the original nucleus of the old town. imum development arrived in the 19th Around the castle, whose construction

10 11 TUSCANY LAND OF ART AND MOTORS

Texts and images by Nando Carrega and Franca Spallarossa Drivers Valerio Boni and Valentina Bruno Graphics and page layout Sagep Editori, Genova Translation Alex Gillan

©2018 Toscana Promozione Turistica www.toscanapromozione.it

Editorial initiative carried out as part of the inter-regional project “Land of Motors - cultural and scientific itineraries of Italy’s motoring heritage.” 2005-2009