{"id":1199,"date":"2015-05-04T08:21:54","date_gmt":"2015-05-04T08:21:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.palaiatoscana.it\/punti-di-interesse-2\/"},"modified":"2025-03-03T17:40:26","modified_gmt":"2025-03-03T15:40:26","slug":"points-of-interest","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.palaiatoscana.it\/en\/points-of-interest\/","title":{"rendered":"Points of interest"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/h3>\n

\"\"PALAIA HIKING TRAILS<\/h2>\n
\n
\n

 <\/h2>\n

  \"BANNER<\/p>\n

Walking means contact with Earth and Nature<\/strong><\/em>. In the \u201cno more time\u201d<\/em> era, where everything goes on fast, a simple walk or trekking path is the simplest way of recovering time and discovering the pleasure of slow movement, taking advantage of what is around us but always slips away. Palaia\u2019s territory is made of typical aspects of the rural Tuscan landscape<\/em>: sweet hills and secular woods, cypresses sequences and camps worked by the man showed with the wisdom of ancient olive groves or with the geometry and harmony of vineyards, all elements that melt harmoniously with the most savage nature. The paths on the territory are a lot and can be chosen in base of various aspects like time of journey, difficulty and kind of way. The common and shared purpose is to enhance, protect and make available our cultural heritage and our excellences such as the landscape, the territory and the food and wine products linked to it, especially from the tourist point of view, a sector on which Palaia bases its vocation .<\/p>\n

It is possible to find the PALAIA TREKKING ROUTES<\/strong> by connecting to the following link: https:\/\/it.wikiloc.com\/wikiloc\/user.do?id=3697689<\/a> or you can follow and discover the updates of \u201cPALAIA TREKKING\u201d<\/strong> from the App or from your PC. With the map and an appropriate dress code, it is recommended to walk with the mind free to fill it with the great spaces that this territory offers.<\/p>\n

Have a good walk and enjoy staying with us!<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\n

\"\"PALAIA<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n

THE OLD VILLAGE AND THE FORTRESS (Panoramic view)<\/span><\/h4>\n
\"\"

Palaia – Panoramic view<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

The<\/strong> ancient village of Palaia<\/strong><\/em>, was the social and political hub of the country during the Middle Ages. The original nucleus includes in its full length Via A. di Mino, the square in front of the Church of S. Andrea<\/em> and the alleys branching off toward the fortress. With its 240 meters above sea level it is the highest point of the village<\/em>, which looks like a tuff knoll in the centre of the village and is the highest part of the Castle, now disappeared but recorded since 986 under the name “Montemagnifridum<\/em><\/strong>“. Very few traces of the stone castle as well as of the fortress are still visible, only some remains of a portion of the stone wall on the south side of the hill. From the top you can admire one of the most beautiful views of Valdera and beyond!<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

S. ANDREW’S CHURCH<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"thumbs_MG_1110\"<\/a>

S. Andrew’s Church<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Along Via del Popolo towards the fortress you will arrive at the square in front of the Church of Sant\u2019Andrea<\/strong><\/em>, one of the oldest in the village. The Church is an example of 13th-century Romanesque style<\/em><\/strong>. Inside there are some sculptures that represent one of the most prosperous artistic periods of the 14th and 15th centuries. Inside, consisting of a single nave without an apse, it preserves numerous artworks of sacred art<\/em>.<\/strong><\/span> You can admire a glazed terracotta “Dossale”<\/em><\/strong> attributed to Giovanni della Robbia<\/em>, two painted wooden Crucifixes<\/em><\/strong>, the one above the main altar (1330), attributed to Andrea Pisano<\/em> and two statues on the sides of the altar, on the right is that of Andrea della Robbia<\/em>, the “Madonna with Child”<\/em><\/strong> in painted terracotta and on the left, the  “Madonna del Carmine”<\/strong><\/em> in polychrome wood painted and signed by Francesco di Valdambrino<\/em> (1403)<\/em><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

THE CIVIC CLOCK TOWER<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"PALAIA<\/a>

The Civic Clock Tower – Via del Popolo<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

At the end of Via del Popolo, almost in the centre of the village, “The Civic Clock Tower”<\/strong><\/em> stands. In the past it was a civic gate, called “Arch of the Podest\u00e0”<\/em><\/strong> (1500), with Ghibelline battlements.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

 THE TOWN HALL (Ex Palazzo Cecchi)<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"Affreschi<\/a>

“Cupid and the two Ninphs” –  Neoclassical fresco by L. Ademollo<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“The Town Hall of Palaia”<\/strong><\/em> is one of the historical buildings of the village.<\/span> With its three floors and the large front full of classic details, it is located in a prominent position on the main square.<\/span> In 1842 it was owned by the noble Cecchi Family <\/em>but in 1920 it <\/em>was sold to the City Hall. In the entrance you can admire the ancient coats of arms of the Podest\u00e0<\/strong><\/em> while, along the stairs and in some rooms, you can see some beautiful  neoclassical frescoes (late 1700) attributed to Luigi Ademollo (1764-1849) and Gaspare Bargioni, the “City Council Hall”<\/strong><\/em> and the so called “Oriental Room”.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

“THE FLORENTINE GATE” AND VILLA DAL BORGO<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"\"<\/a>

Villa dal Borgo – Detail of  the Lion’s statue<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

The “Florentine Gate”<\/strong><\/em> was one of the two gates of the ancient hamlet. Just outside it, you will find one of the most important historical buildings in the village, “Villa Dal Borgo”, <\/em><\/strong>a former Renaissance residence<\/em>, property of a noble family from Pisa. An ancient exponent of this family was the pisan druggist Bacciomeo (1340)<\/em>, from which today it is named one of the restaurants inside the villa: here you can admire frescoes of the 18th century<\/em> depicting scenes of daily life. Wonderful is the view over Palaia from the garden were, until the Second World War, stood the famous \u201cLeccione\u201d<\/em> (big holm), a unique work of  Tuscan Ars Topiaria<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

THE PARISH CHURCH OF SAN MARTINO<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"PIEVE

The Parish Church of  San Martino<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

The monumental “Parish Church of San Martino”<\/em> <\/strong>is the most famous religious building in Palaia.<\/span> Its construction dates back to 1279, when the citizens of the village evaded the jurisdiction of the nearby church of San Gervasio<\/em> creating a new parish, detached from the previous.<\/span>  This church is located just outside the walls of the village, northern direction, along the road that leads to Colleoli and San Gervasio;<\/span> it looks like a building with a rather uniform wall, despite it has been restored several times over the centuries.<\/span>  Noteworthy  are an ancient Baptismal Font<\/em><\/strong> in travertine, probably used to celebrate the rite with complete immersion of the body and a marble stoup <\/em><\/strong>with a Latin inscription about the donation of the tithe of the wine.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\n

\"\" MONTEFOSCOLI<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n

\"\"<\/span> THE OLD VILLAGE AND THE MUSEUM OF PAESANT CIVILIZATION<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"59674411_585983615231916_5467723788508463104_o\"<\/a>

Museum of Paesant Civilization<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Montefoscoli <\/strong><\/em> is an ancient village that extends on the ridge of a hill, which is accessed by a meandering road dotted with cypress trees. <\/span>On the top of the village there is also the “Parish Church of Santa Maria Assunta”<\/em><\/strong> which dates back to 1349, built in bricks.<\/span> The village is also famous for other historical monuments  such as “the Museum of Paesan Civilization”<\/em><\/strong> and “the House-Museum Vacc\u00e0-Berlinghieri”. <\/em><\/strong>The two historic buildings merge with each other, distinct in their themes and exhibitions but at the same time both involved in the preservation of their origins.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

 <\/h4>\n

Museum of Paesant Civilization and House-Museum Vacc\u00e0-Berlinghieri<\/u><\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

The two buildings are in  Via Vacc\u00e0, 49 in  Montefoscoli.<\/p>\n

Opening hours:<\/strong> From April to October, every Sunday from 10:00am to 12:30pm and from 3:00pm to 7:00pm. Free entrance with guided tour (only Italian speaking).<\/p>\n

Info:<\/strong> Associazione Museo Montefoscoli   Tel<\/strong>. 0587-657072  \/ 320-0291217  Email. <\/span><\/strong>museoccm@gmail.com<\/p>\n

Website link: <\/strong>https:\/\/www.museociviltacontadinamontefoscoli.it\/<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

THE TEMPLE AT MEDICAL MENERVA<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"TEMPIO<\/a>

The Temple at Medical Menerva (1821-1823)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Temple at Medical Menerva<\/em><\/strong>, located just outside the village, is a neoclassical building<\/em><\/strong> situated in an holm oak grove and enchants the visitor for its architecture and its aura of mystery. Between 1821 and 1823 Andrea Vacc\u00e0 Berlinghieri<\/em><\/strong> built this temple in memory of his father Francesco<\/em><\/strong>, isolated from the village and surrounded by greenery, entrusting the project to the architect Ridolfo Castinelli<\/em>. The intention stated by his son was to make a memorial to his father\u2019s memory as the temple\u2019s front plate says; however, the imposing architecture, the attention to detail, and the presence of philosophical and Masonic symbols<\/em><\/strong> suggest that this was not the only objective. The building is neoclassical,<\/em><\/strong> rich in decorative elements and strongly symbolic suggestions that refer to the Greek Goddess Menerva<\/em><\/strong>, a god of wisdom and protector of medicine. The Temple can be visited on reservation<\/em> and is available for cultural events and private events. In addition, its history has recently been included in the tourism web marketing project \u201cTuscany Beautiful Everywhere\u201d<\/em><\/strong>, promoted by the Tuscany Region.<\/p>\n

\n

 <\/span><\/h4>\n

The Temple at Medical Menerva<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n