Castelfranco Piandiscò
Abbey of San Salvatore in Soffena
Just outside the center of Castelfranco di Sopra we find the ancient Badia di Soffena.The abbey complex consists of the Romanesque church with a Latin cross, the bell tower, the monastery with a fifteenth-century cloister, the garden and a charming area planted with olive trees.The first document that mentions it dates back to 1014, but its origin is much older; excavations in the cloister of the abbey have in fact brought to light some tombs and a previous building of worship with a single nave with the apse facing east and similar in size to the first early Christian church of the nearby parish of Gropina.It has been possible to date this structure to the 8th-9th century thanks to fragments of Lombard style architectural decorations. The current building is the result of a considerable rebuilding intervention, which probably took place in 1392.Today the façade shows stone blocks with a gabled roof; above the entrance door an oculus gives light to the interior. Entering, on the right there is a Madonna and Child with SS. Pietro e Francesco attributed to Paolo di Stefano Badaloni, known as Paolo Schiavo.
The Annunciation attributed to the Master of the Cassone Adimari follows. In the transept, on the right, the great Massacre of the Innocents is striking for the drama of the representation. Generally attributed to Liberato da Rieti, it has recently been referred to a Florentine painter, the Master of Bibbiena, so called for the triptych he painted there and which served as a term of comparison for the attribution of both the Massacre of the Innocents and of the underlying Visitation. The latter, stylistically more mature, was performed in a period close to that of Bibbiena (about 1425-1430) (Donati).Behind the altar, the Madonna enthroned with the Child with the SS. Lazzaro and Michele Arcangelo, still in a Gothic style but with an attempt to place it in perspective, is attributed to Mariotto di Cristofano, brother-in-law of Masaccio and Scheggia. On the left we see an Annunciation in the upper register and the Madonna della Misericordia in the lower one. In front of Madonna and Child with SS. Pietro and Francesco di Paolo Schiavo, Bicci di Lorenzo frescoed San Giovanni Gualberto, founder of the Vallombrosan Order, with scenes from the life of the saint.
The Annunciation attributed to the Master of the Cassone Adimari follows. In the transept, on the right, the great Massacre of the Innocents is striking for the drama of the representation. Generally attributed to Liberato da Rieti, it has recently been referred to a Florentine painter, the Master of Bibbiena, so called for the triptych he painted there and which served as a term of comparison for the attribution of both the Massacre of the Innocents and of the underlying Visitation. The latter, stylistically more mature, was performed in a period close to that of Bibbiena (about 1425-1430) (Donati).Behind the altar, the Madonna enthroned with the Child with the SS. Lazzaro and Michele Arcangelo, still in a Gothic style but with an attempt to place it in perspective, is attributed to Mariotto di Cristofano, brother-in-law of Masaccio and Scheggia. On the left we see an Annunciation in the upper register and the Madonna della Misericordia in the lower one. In front of Madonna and Child with SS. Pietro and Francesco di Paolo Schiavo, Bicci di Lorenzo frescoed San Giovanni Gualberto, founder of the Vallombrosan Order, with scenes from the life of the saint.
INFORMATION
Free admission
OPENING HOURS
Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 1:00 to 7:00 pm Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm
CLOSING DAYS
The 2nd and 4th Monday of the month and 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month January 1st, May 1st and December 25th
CONTACTS
For reservations and information: from Monday to Friday 8:00 am to 1:00 pm
Phone: 055 9631259
Phone: 055 9149551
Castelfranco – Historic centre
Since 2004, and with irrefutable reason, Castelfranco di Sopra has been included in the list of the “most beautiful villages in Italy”. In fact, this is truly one of the most beautiful villages in Italy: perched on a hill, it enjoys a privileged view of one of the most fascinating views that nature could create, the Balze. The name originates from the relationship with the Florentine Republic, which in 1299 founded this “Terra Nuova ” as an outpost for defensive purposes. The village stands on a natural terrace along the slopes of the Pratomagno. The regularity of the drawing plan, with orthogonal streets as in the Roman castrum, shows the large square in the center, overlooked by the most representative buildings of political and spiritual power, the palace of the podestà and the church of San Pietro. Along via Arnolfo you can admire a section of the circle, with its corbels supporting the patrol walkway. From this perspective you can enjoy the evocative glimpse of the Porta Campana tower, also known as Fiorentina, or of the Clock, or more commonly Torre d’Arnolfo, which shows the carved lily of Florence and the date 1300, the beginning of its construction. The door was built – in reduced proportions – according to the design of the contemporary Florentine city walls. In addition to the Porta Fiorentina, the Porta Aretina, also known as Porta Franca or Porta del Pino, has reached us – even if it is lacking in the upper part that was demolished in 1770 and thenmuch remodeled. What remains of it is a slit and a brick arch supported by stone corbels;
Porta Buia (on the north-west side) and Porta Montanina (on the north-east side) were demolished respectively in 1858-59 and in 1867.
Porta Buia (on the north-west side) and Porta Montanina (on the north-east side) were demolished respectively in 1858-59 and in 1867.
The oldest representation of the entire city dates back to 1585 and is located between the Piante di Popoli e Strade in the Archivio dei Capitani di Parte Guelfa in Florence: a systematic mapping of the streets (of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany) was requested by the Grand Duke Francesco I de ‘Medici, which turned out to be very useful for reconstructing the ancient topography.
The Parish Church of Santa Maria a Scò
Mentioned for the first time in 1008 in the donation Act With which the Ubertini, a powerful Aretine family, conceded some farms to the abbey of Santa Trinità in Alpe in Pratomagno, the ancient and majestic Romanesque parish church of Santa Maria a Scò rises along the charming via dei Setteponti it is one of the oldest of the area, whose magnificence is the result of constructions, expansions and improvements that have followed one another over time; in fact, it stands on ancient Roman and probably also Etruscan settlements: an original small Lombard building from the 6th century was enlarged during the 8th and 9th centuries and a solid and elegant stone structure was built in the 12th century, reflecting its current shape.
The frontispiece of the structure is decorated with five blind arches with long pilasters running parallel to the bottom and with a quadrangular stone row; it is also composed of regular stones.
The interior is spread over three naves and ends with groups of apses, with single lancet windows closed by alabaster slabs.
Inside it is almost possible to feel the whole sensation of peace and sacredness, where a solemn silence hovers, interrupted only by the whispering of prayers.
The interior is divided by monolithic pillars and columns surmounted by the trussed roof, which highlights a fresco of undoubted beauty, depicting the Madonna enthroned with the Child; the painting is attributed to Paolo Schiavo (from the mid-15th century). The interior of the church is also embellished with Romanesque capitals, of great beauty, carved in high relief in pietra serena, dating back to the 12th century.
The frontispiece of the structure is decorated with five blind arches with long pilasters running parallel to the bottom and with a quadrangular stone row; it is also composed of regular stones.
The interior is spread over three naves and ends with groups of apses, with single lancet windows closed by alabaster slabs.
Inside it is almost possible to feel the whole sensation of peace and sacredness, where a solemn silence hovers, interrupted only by the whispering of prayers.
The interior is divided by monolithic pillars and columns surmounted by the trussed roof, which highlights a fresco of undoubted beauty, depicting the Madonna enthroned with the Child; the painting is attributed to Paolo Schiavo (from the mid-15th century). The interior of the church is also embellished with Romanesque capitals, of great beauty, carved in high relief in pietra serena, dating back to the 12th century.
In 1862 it was damaged by a lightning during a storm, so the bell tower was renovated, bringing to light all its magnificence and the entire structure raised and embellished by the pyramidal spire roof surmounted by the lightning rod.
CONTACTS
SP85, 52026 Pian di Scò (AR)
Parish center
Phone: 055 960133
The Balze
This majestic natural scenery was formed in a fairly recent geological period: from the upper Pliocene to the Pleistocene, that is, from about three million to one hundred thousand years ago. At the beginning of the process, the lifting of the Pratomagno and Chianti chains first gave rise to a depression in the western area (between the current territory of Cavriglia and Figline) and then, due to a sinking of tectonic origin towards the east, to an extended basin of about 40 km in length by 10 in width, which was filled in a short time by rainwater which determined the formation of a large lake. Then the basin was gradually filled with debris from the disintegration of the rocks dragged downstream by the streams: the coarser ones deposited near the banks, giving rise to vast alluvial fans; the lighter ones managed to reach the center of the lake. The diversity between the accumulation layers, in which pebbles, gravel, sand, silt or clay prevail, reveals that over time significant climate changes have occurred in the area; in the Pliocene the climate was much warmer than today and the environment resembled today’s tropical or subtropical ones; the numerous fossil finds of animals (elephants, rhinos, hippos, saber-toothed tigers, hyenas) or the shells of freshwater molluscs and charred plants, such as sequoia or cinnamon, testify to this. The upper Valdarno basin gradually filled up with deposits and when these, a hundred thousand years ago, reached an altitude of about 300 meters above sea level, the waters of the lake overflowing lowered it quite quickly and flowed towards the Florentine plain leaving most of the sediments to emerge. The ancient bottom of the lake was subjected to the slow but constant disintegrating action of nature, which gave rise to the characteristic landscape of the hummocks and Valdarno hillocks. Here the natural beauties offer great emotions.
Walking or riding in the valleys winding through the high and steep sides of the Balze allows you to immerse yourself in the mysterious atmosphere of a fairy tale, for this reason you find sites with imaginative names such as “Casa delle Fate”, “Paradiso”, “Purgatorio ”or“ Inferno”.
Walking or riding in the valleys winding through the high and steep sides of the Balze allows you to immerse yourself in the mysterious atmosphere of a fairy tale, for this reason you find sites with imaginative names such as “Casa delle Fate”, “Paradiso”, “Purgatorio ”or“ Inferno”.
CONTACTS
City Hall
Phone : 055 9631259 – 262
This majestic natural scenery was formed in a fairly recent geological period: from the upper Pliocene to the Pleistocene, that is, from about three million to one hundred thousand years ago. At the beginning of the process, the lifting of the Pratomagno and Chianti chains first gave rise to a depression in the western area (between the current territory of Cavriglia and Figline) and then, due to a sinking of tectonic origin towards the east, to an extended basin of about 40 km in length by 10 in width, which was filled in a short time by rainwater which determined the formation of a large lake. Then the basin was gradually filled with debris from the disintegration of the rocks dragged downstream by the streams: the coarser ones deposited near the banks, giving rise to vast alluvial fans; the lighter ones managed to reach the center of the lake. The diversity between the accumulation layers, in which pebbles, gravel, sand, silt or clay prevail, reveals that over time significant climate changes have occurred in the area; in the Pliocene the climate was much warmer than today and the environment resembled today’s tropical or subtropical ones; the numerous fossil finds of animals (elephants, rhinos, hippos, saber-toothed tigers, hyenas) or the shells of freshwater molluscs and charred plants, such as sequoia or cinnamon, testify to this. The upper Valdarno basin gradually filled up with deposits and when these, a hundred thousand years ago, reached an altitude of about 300 meters above sea level, the waters of the lake overflowing lowered it quite quickly and flowed towards the Florentine plain leaving most of the sediments to emerge. The ancient bottom of the lake was subjected to the slow but constant disintegrating action of nature, which gave rise to the characteristic landscape of the hummocks and Valdarno hillocks. Here the natural beauties offer great emotions.
Walking or riding in the valleys winding through the high and steep sides of the Balze allows you to immerse yourself in the mysterious atmosphere of a fairy tale, for this reason you find sites with imaginative names such as “Casa delle Fate”, “Paradiso”, “Purgatorio ”or“ Inferno”.
Walking or riding in the valleys winding through the high and steep sides of the Balze allows you to immerse yourself in the mysterious atmosphere of a fairy tale, for this reason you find sites with imaginative names such as “Casa delle Fate”, “Paradiso”, “Purgatorio ”or“ Inferno”.
CONTACTS
City Hall
Phone : 055 9631259 – 262