Surroundings

Castagneto Carducci is an ancient medieval village, situated on a hill from which you can admire a vast panorama and a magnificent sunset over the sea.

In addition to the Gherardesca Castle (1000 A.D.), in the upper part of town you can visit the SS. Lorenzo church and SS. Crucifix church, which houses a valuable wood crucifix dating back to '400.

Moreover in the old part, you can find the Praetorian Palace and the palace where the famous poet Giosuè Carducci lived part of his life, now a museum.

The poet often returned to the country to find friends and enjoy good food with them. Today, as then, there are plenty of typical restaurants, craft shops and festivals.

The village can be reached through the avenue of cypresses, made immortal by the poetry of Carducci.

The medieval village, built around the twelfth century castle, is full of narrow streets and artisan shops, which are ancient craft echoes.

Within the country there is the Monumental Cemetery, where Lucia, the poet’s grandmother, was buried.

Recommended sites to visit include the San Guido Oratory and the St. Bernard Church.

Marina Di Castagneto, awarded with the blue flag, is only 4 km away and offers both a beautiful pine forest, where you can take walks and practice many sports, and a wide sandy beach, where you can choose between several fully equipped beach resorts and free beaches with services.

People who love contact with nature should visit the wide Paradou beach, which is 4 km away too, and going a bit further the Rimigliano Natural Park, the Oasis of Bolgheri and the Baratti Gulf with its amazing beach.

Nearby there are many amusement parks, where children and grown-ups can spend an enjoyable day.

The Cavallino Matto is located in the nearby beautiful Marina di Castagneto pine forest. As an alternative you can choose between the Aqua Park and the wildlife center Gallarose, both just a few kilometers in the nearby town of Cecina.

The Calidario is a natural hot spring which is open all year round and where you can spend a relaxing and wellbeing full day.

Inside you can find the Thermarium, with a turkish bath, a sauna, a hot tub, sensory pathways and herbal teas.

It’s a city, which is unique due to its three thousand years of history.

The Walls, the Porta All 'Arco, the necropolis, and the Vallebona Theatre date back to the Etruscan and Roman times.

The structure of the city, with its narrow streets, its tower-houses and churches, is rather medieval.

The impressive Medicean fortress and the St. Jerome Convent were built in the Renaissance period.

For what concern the museums, you can’t miss the Civic Painting Gallery, the Opera del Duomo Museum and the Etruscan Museum.

Volterra is also famous for its alabaster craftsmanship.

San Gimignano, which is located in the Tuscan hills between Siena and Florence, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, thanks to its medieval architecture and its towers, which make it unique in the world.

Nowadays there are only 16 out of the 72 originally built towers: The Torre Rognosa and the Torre Grossa are among the most famous ones.

In addition to civil architecture, in San Gimignano there are many churches to visit, such as the Collegiate Church which is one of the finest examples of Tuscan Romanesque style, in which precious frescoes by Ghirlandaio and statues by Jacopo della Quercia are preserved.

In addition to art, S. Gimignano offers excellent typical products such as saffron and San Gimignano Vernaccia.

Massa Marittima, an Etruscan city in the middle of the metalliferous hills, is famous for its medieval architecture.

The city is divided into two parts: the lower part (also called the Old Town), which is predominantly in the Romanesque style, and the upper part (the new city), dating back to the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.

The Cathedral, the most important city building, is in the famous Piazza Garibaldi, which in summer turns into a fascinating stage, where internationally known artists perform the most famous Operas.

In addition, the city is also rich in museums.

Siena is considered the Gothic style capital and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The city itself is a museum and a Medieval art masterpiece.

You shouldn’t miss visiting the Public Palace, which houses precious masterpieces, the Complesso Museale of Santa Maria della Scala, the Cathedral with its square, the Sant'Agostino’s Church, the S. Domenico’s Church, the Santa Caterina’s Sanctuary and house.

The famous Piazza del Campo with its characteristic shell shape is dominated by the town hall belfry, known as the Torre del Mangia, 102 meters high and dating back to 1300.

The Palio, a Medieval tradition which has been preserved unchanged over the centuries, takes place in the square twice a year.

Florence with its churches, museums and squares is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is included among the world's richest cities thank to its artistic heritage.

You can travel through the history centuries starting from the "Roman quadrilateral", the Medieval framework of its streets, to get to the Pitti Palace, the symbol of the Italian Renaissance.

Florence is also considered one of the worldwide capitals of culture and fashion.

Pisa, an ancient maritime republic, is famous throughout the world mainly for its Leaning Tower, in the beautiful Piazza del Duomo, where there are also the Cathedral, the Baptistery, the Monumental Cemetery, the Cathedral Museum and the Museum of Sinopie.

However, the city offers other attractions too: the Knights’ square, where the prestigious Scuola Normale is and the "Tower of Hunger", now a museum, where Ugolino, the Earl of Gherardesca, was imprisoned with his children.

In honor of St. Ranieri, the city patron saint, traditional events are held in June: the Luminara, the Regatta of San Ranieri and the Battle of the Bridge.

Lucca is also called the 100-church city, the most famous are the Duomo, in the San Martino’s square, which houses valuable works such as the famous Ilaria del Carretto’s sarcophagus by Jacopo della Quercia, the Basilica of St. Frediano and the Church of St. Michael.

In addition, you are strongly recommended to visit the Amphitheatre square, so called because the court was set here in Roman times, the Guinigi Tower, the Palazzo Mansi, where the Pinacoteca is set, and finally the sixteenth-century walls which surround the city and house the Botanical Garden.