Pilgrim in the Florentine Countryside Routes

Edited by Renato Stopani TUSCANY Pilgrim in the Florentine countryside routes www.vieromee.it Pilgrim € 14,00 routes in the Florentine countryside Edited by Renato Stopani TUSCANY in the Florentine countryside Pilgrim routes in the Florentine countryside Edited by Renato Stopani Texts by Renato Stopani, Alessandra Cavallini, Claudio Fagarazzi Graphic project, pagination, image processing Sesamo Comunicazione Visiva Illustrations Massimo Tosi Photos courtesy of Renato Stopani, Massimo Tosi, Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze, Andrea Dini, Apt Arezzo, Apt Siena, Giuditta Marsili and Leonardo Tarchiani Copyright © 2010 by Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze/Casa Editrice Le Lettere ISBN 88 6087 269 3 www.lelettere.it www.vieromee.it A project by Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze With the contribution of Project partners Tuscan Region Municipality of Florence Province of Florence University of Florence Province of Arezzo Istituto Geografico Militare Province of Siena Archdiocese of Florence Diocese of Siena Diocese of Arezzo Diocese of Fiesole In collaboration with the Municipalities of: Arezzo Loro Ciuffenna Bagno a Ripoli Montelupo Fiorentino Barberino del Mugello Monteriggioni Barberino Val d’Elsa Montevarchi Borgo San Lorenzo Pelago Campi Bisenzio Pian di Scò Castelfiorentino Poggibonsi Castelfranco di Sopra Pontassieve Castellina in Chianti Radda in Chianti Castelnuovo Berardenga Reggello Certaldo Rignano sull’Arno Colle Val d’Elsa San Casciano Val di Pesa Empoli San Giovanni Valdarno Fiesole San Piero a Sieve Figline Valdarno Scarperia Firenzuola Sesto Fiorentino Greve in Chianti Signa Impruneta Tavarnelle Val di Pesa Incisa Valdarno Terranuova Bracciolini Lastra a Signa Vaglia Laterina Scientific committee Claudio Leonardi, Antonio Paolucci, Fabrizio Porcinai, Renato Stopani Supervision Antonio Gherdovich Coordination Marcella Antonini General Organization Alessandra Cavallini Scientific coordination Renato Stopani, Claudio Fagarazzi On-site research and survey Giuditta Marsili, Leonardo Tarchiani Operational management Silvia Zonnedda, Simona Pozzoli Press Office Letter@ Comunicazione Integrata Graphic project and image, website and digital media Sesamo Comunicazione Visiva English translation English Workshop - Firenze TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction P. 8 How to Use the Guide >> 10 Useful Information >> 12 Definitions and Directional Signs >> 13 THE HISTORY Florence: A Crossroads of the Medieval Road Network >> 17 The Ten Main Roads of the Florentine Republic >> 19 Pilgrim Routes in the Florentine Countryside >> 20 1200: Florence, an Important Stop on the Way to Rome >> 22 The Rise of Hospices in the City of Florence >> 23 FLORENCE, THE URBAN TOUR >> 25 THE VIA SANESE Connecting to the Via Francigena in Siena >> 41 Leg 1: Porta San Miniato (Florence) – Sant’Andrea in Percussina >> 48 Leg 2: Sant’Andrea in Percussina – Montefiridolfi >> 54 Leg 3: Montefiridolfi – San Donato in Poggio >> 58 Leg 3, Alternative route: Badia a Passignano – San Donato in Poggio >> 62 Leg 4: San Donato in Poggio – Castellina in Chianti >> 64 6 Leg 4, Alternative route: San Donato in Poggio – Pietrafitta >> 68 Leg 5: Castellina in Chianti – Uopini (Siena) >> 74 THE VIA PISANA and the connection to the Francigena Nova in the lower Valdelsa >> 81 Leg 1: Porta San Frediano (Florence) – Lastra a Signa >> 88 Leg 2: Lastra a Signa – Empoli >> 94 Leg 3: Empoli – Castelfiorentino >> 100 Leg 4: Castelfiorentino – Certaldo >> 106 Leg 4, Local Itinerary: Oliveto Castle >> 110 Leg 5: Certaldo – Poggibonsi >> 112 Legs 4 / 5, Alternative route: Pian Grande – Podere San Luigi >> 118 Leg 6: Poggibonsi – Monteriggioni >> 122 Leg 7: Monteriggioni – Piazza del Campo (Siena) >> 126 THE VIA BOLOGNESE The Pilgrim Route to Rome in the 13th Century P. 135 Leg 1: Porta San Gallo (Florence) – Ceppeto (Monte Morello) >> 142 Leg 2: Ceppeto (Monte Morello) – Sanctuary of Monte Senario >> 150 Leg 3: Sanctuary of Monte Senario – Sant’Agata >> 154 Leg 3, Local Itineraries: Lake Bilancino – Cafaggiolo – Scarperia >> 158 Leg 4: Sant’Agata – Firenzuola >> 164 Leg 5: Firenzuola – Covigliaio >> 170 Leg 6: Covigliaio – Futa Pass >> 174 Leg 7: Futa Pass – Sant’Agata >> 178 THE VIA VECCHIA ARETINA The Itinerary to Loreto >> 185 Leg 1: Porta San Miniato (Florence) – Troghi >> 192 Local Itinerary: Bigallo – Incontro – Villamagna Bigallo – Antella – Santa Caterina >> 198 Leg 2: Troghi – Figline Valdarno >> 204 Leg 3: Figline Valdarno – Montevarchi >> 212 Leg 4: Montevarchi – Laterina >> 218 Leg 5: Laterina – Quarata (Arezzo) >> 222 THE STRADA DEI SETTE PONTI 7 Via Sancti Petri >> 229 Leg 1: Porta San Gallo (Florence) – Pontassieve >> 236 Leg 2: Pontassieve – Pieve a Pitiana >> 242 Leg 3: Pieve a Pitiana – Pian di Scò >> 246 Leg 4: Pian di Scò – Loro Ciuffenna >> 250 Leg 5: Loro Ciuffenna – Laterina >> 254 Leg 6: Laterina – Quarata (Arezzo) >> 258 Introduction Walking around the Florentine countryside, along the ancient pilgrim roads to Rome is to relive the experience of a “slow” journey, rich with the stories of people and places, art and history, nature and tradition, reflection and spirituality. This is the aim of the project to promote these pilgrim roads to Rome. Six itineraries that leave from Florence and intersect the Via Fran- cigena, the Via dell’Alpe di Serra and other main religious thor- oughfares of the past. The Florentine countryside – a term that describes the dioceses of Florence and Fiesole, an area controlled by the city of Flor- ence as far back as the 13th century – was an integral part of the network of pilgrim roads that profoundly marked all of Tuscany during the course of the Middle Ages. The Via Francigena – the quintessential via peregrinalis – did not pass through Florence as it crossed the westernmost part of Tus- cany. Nevertheless, Florence was connected to this thoroughfare through roads that intersected it in the Val d’Elsa or Siena. Thus, some important roads in the Florentine Republic became pilgrim routes in all respects. Later, Florence – given also its growing importance as an eco- nomic and political “power” – acquired an increasingly greater role in the flow of pilgrims heading to Rome. Already at the time of the first Jubilees, in fact, the majority of pilgrims from all over Europe who went to Rome passed through Florence. From that time on, the city increasingly attracted wayfarers of the Via Fran- cigena: all the main roads and routes, that radiated from the city, were covered by romei, or pilgrims going to Rome; therefore nu- merous hospices and other accommodation facilities were built in the city, which are still visible in part today amidst the modern 8 buildings. After careful historical research that retraced the routes in the region, here are the itineraries, reborn to be offered anew to today’s wayfarers: the Via Sanese which connects Florence and Siena, from where, returning to the Via Francigena, one continued to Rome; the Via Pisana, one followed as far as Empoli, and the Fran- cigena Nova in the lower Val d’Elsa; the Strada dei Sette Ponti (or Road of the Seven Bridges) and the Via Vecchia Aretina, going along opposite sides of the up- per Valdarno and both used to link up with the so-called Via dell’Alpe di Serra near Arezzo; the Via Vecchia Bolognese, the Bologna-Florence thoroughfare that began to gain importance in the 13th century as it began to replace the Via Francigena as the preferred route to Rome; an urban itinerary, inside the city of Florence lined with ancient hospices on the road that led from Porta San Gallo to Porta San Pier Gattolino (the current Porta Romana), crossing through the oldest part of the city, then over the Arno and the Ponte Vecchio. All the suburban itineraries radiate out from Florence, starting from the gates of the city’s 14th-century walls. The pilgrim of today can travel again on these ancient roads, fol- lowing the suggestions and rich historical material in this guide. With its 560 km. of routes based on a system of foot and bike paths, the guide – with abundant historical insights and pilgrimage accounts – opens the door to the discovery of sometimes little known corners in the area of Florence and its surround- ings. In addition to the guide, the project of the pilgrim roads to Rome has also created the web site www.vieromee.it that inte- grates, expands, and updates useful information on the pilgrim routes. Multimedia, an information exchange, and maps can be found on the site, with the possibility of downloading tracks for traditional GPS. In addition, the site may also be visited using GPS-equipped cell phones, thus enabling online consultation of the routes. Like the principal historical itineraries, the ancient pilgrim roads to Rome are also identified by a logo that is meant to accompany the pilgrim along the itineraries: the symbol of a “benedictory hand”, the sign of good fortune once exchanged by wayfarers as they traveled towards the destination of their pilgrimage. The ancient pilgrim roads to Rome – a project sponsored by the Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze in collaboration with the Tus- can Region, the provinces and tourism offices of Arezzo, Flor- ence and Siena, the municipalities of the areas concerned, the University of Florence, the Istituto Geografico Militare, and the Archdiocese of Florence – represent an alternative cultural and tourist offering that responds to an ever-growing demand of in- formed and attentive visitors who practice a form of sustainable tourism that respects the environment. 9 Have a good trip! How to Use the Guide After a short historical introduction, an overview of the itineraries is given with specific information on distance, elevation gain, and the overall level of difficulty. Two maps illustrate each itinerary: one is for walking routes and one for biking routes. Maps are not drawn to scale. A complete and exhaustive list of the accommodation facilities in each place is available on the www.vieromee.it internet site. The itineraries are broken into legs; each leg corresponds to the distance that can be covered either on foot or by bicycle in one day, keeping in mind the length and types of terrain.

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