Tuscany - Province of Florence (Florence excluded)

I have been many times in the Province of Florence, some of them for tourism. I shall limit myself to giving some impressions. As a child I first went to Fiesole with my mother; I returned a second time on a school trip as a boy and a third time many years later in the company of a friend. The Fiesole I remember best is the one seen as a child, because I was fascinated by its monuments and the numerous historical traces concentrated in this small town set on a hill above Florence. Precisely because of its location, Fiesole is the natural terrace from which one can enjoy one of the best views of the provincial capital. First Etruscan then Roman, the town preserves an archaeological area with an amphitheatre still used for performances and remains of baths. The area is close to the main square, onto which face the Palazzo del Comune, the Episcopal Seminary and the Romanesque cathedral.

A characteristic element visible from much of the town is the crenellated tower with a clock. In the upper part of Fiesole, where the Acropolis once stood, the Church of San Francesco now stands with its adjoining monastery, which has sober cloisters. Another trip made by bus as a child was to the Sanctuary of Montesenario, set on a hill north of Florence. On another occasion, again as a small boy, I visited a large nativity scene inside the Charterhouse of Florence at Galluzzo. I have also been several times to Vinci, a typical Tuscan town surrounded by the gentle hills of this region. In the old town, which partly occupies a hill, there is a castle but above all the memory of Leonardo, which pervades the air, the streets and the houses of this place.

It is interesting in the Castle of the Counts Guidi to visit the museum that gathers the great genius's numerous ideas reconstructed as models. In the centre a large monument reproduces the Vitruvian Man. Not far from the town, but already in open countryside, I visited Leonardo's birthplace, truly very simple and essential. Another place visited is Fucecchio, with its old town gathered around the Collegiata. I have been once also to Certaldo, the town of Boccaccio. The old town, surrounded by walls, stands on a hill reachable by a rack funicular from the lower town. In this medieval village stand out the House of Boccaccio, the Church and the fine Palazzo Pretorio, rich in coats of arms on its brick façade. During a tour in the Arezzo area I spent the night at Consuma, a mountain locality on the pass of the same name, divided in two between the Province of Florence and that of Arezzo.

On waking I realised that the village was surrounded by dense woods. From here I tried to reach the Hermitage of Vallombrosa without succeeding, because the road was closed. Some time later I did reach Vallombrosa. The hermitage is located in the middle of a great forest and is an oasis of peace that invites prayer and meditation. I visited the church and part of the monastery, where a monk explained the techniques for producing spirits. For information on the provincial capital, Florence, I refer you to the relevant itinerary.