Tuscany Villas: in Chianti and
in Florence, discover the places to see

You want to rent a villa in Tuscany, Italy or a farmhouse in Chianti so it is also important to find out what is nearby to where you will be. We have several villas in Florence, Pienza, Lucca, Chianti and Siena for your holiday in Tuscany. Here we present a short introduction to sites and places of interest near Lucca, Pienza, Montalcino and Montepulciano.

Lucca

The Walls of Lucca

The beautifully well-preserved walls that surround the city of Lucca were meant to protect her inhabitants, but were never used to defend the city in serious battle. Begun in the 1500s, the walls that surround the city of Lucca were, at the time, the very latest in defensive architecture. In fact, they were so revolutionary that they changed the face of military architecture in Europe.

Despite the fact that the builders of Lucca's fortifications were the designers of a new style of military technology, the names of these innovative architects and builders remain unknown. We do know that they were true sons of the Italian Renaissance, because the walls themselves are elegant beyond necessity. Although the city was never attacked severely enough to make these extensive protective measure necessary, the walls continue to lend a distinctive charm to Lucca, and they are among the best preserved fortifications in Italy.

Nowadays, the walls of Lucca are purely decorative and they provide a wonderful place for visitors and inhabitants to exercise, visit, and be out in the open. The Duchess Marie Louise planted the broad tops of the walls with a double row of plane trees, and thus created one of the world's most attractive and purely pedestrian boulevards. Bicycles are a particularly popular form of transportation throughout Lucca, and visitors will delight in renting a bike in order to take a few turns around the tops of the walls.

There are entrance ramps and steps leading up to the walls throughout the city and a cycler is sure to be joined by the many residents of Lucca who stroll, visit and pass around the walls in their daily lives. We urge you to rent a bike and go for a ride atop the walls. We found this to be one of the highlights of our visit to Lucca. And if you don't bike, be sure to take a stroll atop the walls; this is a unique experience and no visitor to Lucca should pass it by. The views of the town from atop the walls are striking and memorable.

When one first approaches Lucca, the sprawl outside the walls can be a bit disappointing. We urge you to pass through one of the city gates and immerse yourself in the old town that lies inside the walls. So many of Tuscany's fortified towns sit upon hilltops; in many cases these perches provide protection from nearby urban sprawl. But since Lucca lies on a plain, one must enter through the walls to fully appreciate this beautifully preserved old town. The ancient, the mediaeval, and the Renaissance are all present within the walls of Lucca, making this town a delight to explore.

The Botanical Gardens

The Botanical Gardens of Lucca are inside of the old city, in the area between the Porta Elisa and Porta San Pietro, situated snugly in a corner next to the town walls. The gardens belong to the Commune di Lucca, and as such they share a long and mutually beneficial relationship with the city and its surrounding territory. A spectacular view of the entire Botanical Gardens, which extend for approximately two hectares, is available to those who are walking or cycling atop the walls.

Visitors to the Botanical Garden enter through a wide wrought-iron gate and proceed along a central tree-lined avenue that beckons strollers further into the confines of the gardens. This peaceful and lovely avenue ends at a small lake; opposite the lake, in the northern part of the gardens, visitors will find greenhouses and the Botanical Garden's library, containing rare and ancient horticultural manuscripts.

The Botanical Garden was established in the first years of the 19th century (1820), in collaboration with the University of Lucca, and therefore it assumed from the beginning a scientific importance, quickly becoming a home for research and advanced botanical instruction.

Because of a lively exchange of information and plants with other European botanical gardens, the Lucchese Garden soon amassed an impressive collection of exotic flora. As the owners of the great villas surrounding Lucca became acquainted with the many new species of plants collected by the Garden, they came to rely on the botanists there to fill their villa grounds with the strange and beautiful new specimens. In return, the local aristocracy supported the Botanical Garden with their largess, and thus the garden became even richer, filling rapidly with formerly unknown species such as Cedars of Lebanon, magnolia, and sequoia.

The collections of the Botanical Garden have continued to grow remarkably, and several endangered species of plants are now in the collection. The Lucchese botanists are committed to preserving the endangered plants of the territory, working in conjunction with conservationists, farmers, and gardeners in order to save the rich botanical heritage of the area. A visit to the Botanical Gardens of Lucca will help to support their efforts, as well as provide the visitor with a delightful experience.

The Cathedral of Saint Martin

Lucca's Duomo is the heart of this ancient community. This past September, we were privileged to witness the Volto Santo processional, and civic pride was as evident as religious commitment. The Cathedral, it's works of art, the adjacent Museo della Cattedrale are each gorgeously maintained and well-supported by the city.

The cathedral was begun in the eleventh century, and was completely rebuilt between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries. In 1261 it was joined to the bell-tower, creating the unusual symmetry that visitors see today. This asymmetrical facade is adorned by three tiers of colonnades, representative of Pisan-style architecture.

Many architectural scholars believe that the Duomo of Lucca is the finest example of Pisan architecture outside of Pisa itself.

The Duomo's outstanding works of art are highlighted by the gorgeous tomb of Ilaria del Carretto, the work of Lucca's most famous artist son, Matteo Civitali. The tomb is set in the sacristy, and dates from the fifteenth century. It is both beautiful and touching: the late Ilaria's youthful beauty, and the poignancy of her little dog sitting at her feet, are quite moving.

To the left of the Cathedral's nave, a strange cage-like structure holds the Volto Santo. The Volto Santo (Holy Face) is a wooden effigy that is said to be a true image of Christ, carved by Nicodemus at the crucifixion. Once a year the revered effigy was removed to head a procession through the streets of Lucca. Nowadays the procession still takes place, but the valuable and ancient statue is left inside the Cathedral, where the procession through the candle lit streets of Lucca ends.

A FEW MORE SIGHTS

San Michele in Foro

Almost certainly the most photographed view in Lucca, the facade of San Michele in Foro is a delight. The upper section gives the impression of a propped-up film set - the windows look through onto thin air - as money ran out before that part of the church could be raised to the level of the facade.

Every single column is different; some are elaborately carved, some twisted and spiraling, others are like striped sweets. Look up at the figure of the archangel - the wings are hinged and may be retracted if the wind gets up.

If you catch sight of a glimmer up above them, then legend has it that you are in for some good luck - you'll have seen the jewel in a ring on the hand of the statue of the archangel. This is considered to be an auspicious omen!

The Torre Guinigi

The Torre Guinigi is instantly recognizable as Lucca's tower with the trees on top. This fifteenth century, 130 foot high tower may be climbed all the way to the top. Views over the rooftops of Lucca are spectacular, and the size and shape of the town can be more easily understood from atop the Torre Guinigi. The adjoining Casa Guinigi is but one of many mansions that were built by the silk trading Guinigi family, once all-powerful rulers of Lucca.

Palazzo Mansi

Also known as the Pinacoteca, Palazzo Mansi is home to Lucca's National Picture Gallery and the occasional special exhibition. The interior is very rococo in style, the highlight being the bridal suite, oozing silk, mirrors, engravings and gilt-work. There are also many good examples of Brussels tapestry.

San Frediano

The church of San Frediano is instantly distinguishable from the other Romanesque churches of Lucca by its golden mosaic high on the facade. While gorgeous on the outside, the church of San Frediano is also of interest internally. The huge twelfth century baptismal font, the Fonte Lustrale, lies immediately at the entrance and is decorated with biblical scenes attributed to three different craftsmen. The church also houses a shrine to Santa Zita, Lucca's patron saint, whose mummified body is brought out once a year when she may be touched by the devout.

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The Model City of Pienza

Pope Pius II, founder of Pienza

The Piccolomini family were originally a powerful Sienese clan, forced to seek exile in Corsignano, one of their possessions, during a turbulent period in the politics of Renaissance Siena. No one is quite sure why Pius, born in Corsignano in 1405, was compelled to create a model city from his humble birthplace, but he was, and he hired the architect Rossellino to do the job. Another mystery that surrounds the birth of Pienza is the motivation of the architect: did Rossellino set out to build an original model city, a monument to Pius, or a faithful recreation of his patron's dreams? No one is quite sure. What we do know is that the town was built as a model example of classic Renaissance architecture. It is said that Rossellino was caught embezzling funds from the construction of the town, but Pius II forgave him because he was so pleased with the results of the architect's work.

Set in a gorgeous archetypal Tuscan landscape, Pienza, christened so by Pius after his Papal name, draws visitors with Rosellino's monuments to Pius II that form the core of this model city: its central piazza, the Duomo, and the Papal Palace.

Piazza Pio II

All the major sights in Pienza sit here, on Rosellino's famous piazza. The piazza itself is elegantly proportional, and appears simple in design. The piazza itself speaks much more to the tastes of the early, rather than the middle or later, Renaissance, in that the Piazza Pio was clearly designed to be much more of a place where citizens could carry out their daily lives, rather than an impressive and perhaps grandiose statement.

The Duomo

Rosellino built the Douomo in 1459. It is best known for the golden light that floods it through its many and vast stained glass windows. Pius II specifically requested these windows, because he wanted a domus vitrea, " a house of glass," to symbolize the Humanistic Age's spirit of intellectual enlightenment.

Rosellino himself carved an altar and baptismal font in the lower church, and the cathedral also features works by several well known Sienese artists. Sano di Pietro, Matteo di Giovanni, Vecchietta and Giovanni di Paolo all contributed altar pieces.

Pius II issued a papal bull in 1462 that expressly forbids changing anything in the interior of the Duomo. Sadly, the Duomo itself is in great danger, since it has been suffering from subsidence almost since it was built.

The Duomo is open daily, except Tuesday. Recent hours were 10-1 and 3-6. There is a charge for admission.

Palazzo Piccolomini

The Palazzo Piccolomini sits nest to the Cathedral on Piazza Pio and was home to various members of the Piccolomini family almost continuously until 1968. It is now open to visitors. Leon Battista Alberti's designs for the Palazzo Rucellai in Florence were Rosellolino's inspriation for the palazzo.

Among the favorites sights of visitors to Pienza is the ornate and arcaded courtyard at the rear of the palazzo. There you will find a three-story loggia that overlooks a hanging garden at the edge of a cliff. The views from here to the wooded slopes of Monte Amiata are not to be missed.

The Palazzo Piccolomini is open to visitors from Tuesday through Sunday. Hours vary with the season, so be sure to check. There is a charge for admission.

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Montalcino

The small hillside town of Montalcino, 24 km. west of Pienza, is the site of an ancient fortezza. This magnificent fort, built in 1361 served as the refuge and home of the government of Siena when, in 1555, the city was captured by the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V.

The picturesque medieval streets of Montalcino are filled with wine shops, enoteche, cafes and other shops to serve the visitors that come to seek the wonderful Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino, as well as the sweet Moscadello that we described in our last newsletter. The tourist office in Montalcino can provide visitors with a list of vineyards that allow visitors, as well as the times and phone numbers to schedule visits.

Pro Loco Tourist Office
Costa Municipio 8
10am-1pm and 2-6pm
Tuesday-Sunday

Visitors come to Montalcino for the Museo Civico e Diocesano d'Arte Sacra, as well as to see the Fortezza and taste the wines. The museum contains a fine small collection of sacred art from Montalcino and the surrounding area. Especially notable works are a Madonna and Child by Simone Martini and a triptych by Duccio di Buoninsegna.

Abbazia di Sant'Antimo

The Abbey of Saint Antimo lies 35km to the southwest of Pienza, and a visit to Montalcino can easily be combined with a trip to the Abbazia. The Abbey commands an isolated hilltop site, where it stands alone amid cypress and olive groves. Sant'Antimo was founded in the 9th century, and its church was added in the 12th century. The small monastic community still occupies the Abbey and it is possible to attend Mass, where the monks sing Gregorian chants, after visiting the remaining and architecturally outstanding buildings of the Abbazia di Sant'Antimo.

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Montepulciano

Close to Montalcino and Siena is Montepulciano. Montepulciano was long a site of contention between the rulers of Florence and Siena, and when the Florentines finally gained complete supremacy in 1404, they called upon some of their favorite architects to enliven Montepulciano, thus giving the Gothic town a Renaissance flavor. This mixture of styles, the ancient and the Renaissance, provides visual delight and architectural interest for today's visitors to Montepulciano.

Although the medieval streets of Montepulciano hold surprises for the visitor in the form of scattered splendid palazzos, most of the town's main sights are clustered around the Piazza Grande, the highest point in the city. On one side of the Piazza is the Palazzo Comunale, and on the other is the Palazzo Contucci. These Renaissance Palazzos will be of interest to lovers of Italian art and architecture.

Not far from the Piazza Grande are the Museo Civico with della Robbia terracottas and a few other interesting works, and the church of Santa Lucia with a lovely Madonna by Signorelli.

The medieval streets of Montepulciano are much like those of Montalcino in that many of shops are devoted to wine lovers. Wine, art and architecture are complemented by two August festivals in Montepulciano that are quite interesting for travelers. The first and largest is the Bruscello, a play in song and verse acted out by the townspeople in Piazza Grande. Also in August is the Bravio delle Botti, in which local teams race up the steep main street pushing huge barrels.

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