CASTELFIORENTINO
GAMBASSI
MONTAIONE
SAN VIVALDO
DAY 2
Today we visit Castelfiorentino, Gambassi, Montaione and San Vivaldo, which are ideal destinations for pilgrims who want to discover the history, art and culture of these small medieval villages during their walk along the famous Via Francigena.
After an early breakfast we leave San Miniato and we head off to Gambassi .This part of the Via Francigena is 23.7 km long and takes less than 6 hours’ walk. After an hour’s walk, we take a path leading to the hills of the Elsa Valley.
Here you can see road-houses, forts, hospitals, monasteries, abbeys and castles such as the picturesque Coiano Castle surrounded by vineyards, where excellent local wines such as Chianti DOCG are produced.
You can find a water supply in Calenzano and in Coiano.
During the route we can see the famous Romanesque Pieve di Coiano, a church dedicated to the Saints Pietro and Paolo, where Archbishop Sigeric stopped during his journey in 990, and the Romanesque Church of Santa Maria in Chianni, which is now a hostel.
From here it is easy to reach Castelfiorentino, walking through the spectacular Tuscan hills. This town, located between the Arno and the Elsa Valleys, rose near the intersection of the Via Francigena with the Via Volterrana in the Middle Ages. It has strong links with the pilgrimage culture as it has always welcomed travellers resting on their journeys from northern Europe to Rome.
In the past a pilgrim could see two tabernacles along the route: the 15th- century Tabernacle of the Madonna della Tosse and the Tabernacle of the Madonna delle Grazie by Benozzo Gozzoli, a Renaissance painter who frescoed the famous Cappella dei Magi in Palazzo Medici Riccardi in Florence. Now these tabernacles are in Benozzo Gozzoli’s Museum in Castelfiorentino.
Our walk continues towards Gambassi Terme, another famous stop along the Via Francigena. Here you can visit the historic centre, with its spa complexes located in the centre of the town gardens. The well-known Terme della Via Francigena , which are located in Pillo, have been celebrated for centuries as they offer thermal waters rich in minerals.
Here you can find a relaxing indoor hydro massage pool and an outdoor pool and enjoy the pleasure of the heat and the vapours. We stop for lunch at Osteria del Pellegrino in Gambassi Terme, where we can taste typical Tuscan dishes.
If you are not interested in the wellness path in Gambassi Terme, we suggest you visit Montaione, a picturesque hilltop town overlooking the Elsa Valley, immersed in the Tuscan countryside.
We walk through its cobbled streets and we reach Piazza della Repubblica, where you can find San Regolo’s Church characterized by its Gothic façade featuring a stone sculpture depicting Saint Bernardino’s Host. It houses an important painting, “Madonna and Child”, attributed to the Cimabue school.
You can also visit the Civic Museum inside the Pretorian Palace located in the historic centre of Montaione and the small Church of the Saints Giuseppe and Lucia also called the Church of the Nuns.
This church dates back to the 16th century and it is located in the Town Hall Square.
The lovely Montaione area boasts a network of hiking trails and is the perfect destination for country lovers.
Before leaving this small town you can enjoy a ham sandwich sitting on a bench in front of a wonderful view of the countryside.
Our walk continues towards San Vivaldo, a hamlet is situated among the gentle hills of the Tuscan countryside at 450 metres above the sea level. The origins of San Vivaldo date back to the++-14th century.
In an atmosphere of peace, history and art we reach the Holy Mount of San Vivaldo also called Tuscany’s Jerusalem.It takes its name from Vivaldo Stricchi, a 14th- century Franciscan hermit from San Gimignano, who chose this area to live a life of contemplation and fasting. A chapel was built in his honour on the site where the friar’s dead body was found.
In the 15th century a monastery and church were added. Later the Franciscan friars created a complex of 34 chapels, only 18 of which remain today, decorated with splendid polychrome terracotta reliefs and statues representing scenes and episodes from the Life and Passion of Jesus Christ and Palestine, thus reproducing the Holy Places of Jerusalem.
The site offers visitors a pilgrimage without going to the Holy Land. We have dinner at Osteria San Vivaldo.Overnight stay at Castel Brelli, a hostel 900 metres far from San Vivaldo.
