Circolare dei Castelli” – guided tours in the Valdarno villages

From 7 to 28 April, the ‘Circular of Castles’ presents four Sunday appointments of guided tours to discover villages and small museums in the Lower Valdarno territory.

The third edition, organised by the Lower Valdarno Valley Museum System, broadens its scope. The mini-tours take place in the same way, with the aim of offering an opportunity for citizens and tourists to visit the Valdarno territory and discover its particular beauties, through a cycle of guided tours with coordinated and free bus/shuttle transport to the four historical centres of Castelfranco di Sotto, Montopoli in Val d’Arno, San Miniato and Santa Maria a Monte.

Compared to previous editions there are new routes and different cultural offers. The tours last the whole day and touch the four municipalities over the course of four days, each one dedicated to two different historical centres. The tours will be led by specialised personnel and/or the scientific directors of the various museums. It will be a valuable opportunity to discover lesser-known corners and aspects of the local cultural heritage.

Sunday 7 April – From Montopoli in Val d’Arno to Castelfranco di Sotto
In the morning: discovering the castle of Montopoli and its ‘charcoal pits’. Visit to the village, the castle and the civic museum. The afternoon: “On the Via Francigena to Galleno”, a route accompanied by specialist guides to discover the historical and naturalistic aspects of the medieval road near the Grasse Geline through which Philip Augustus, King of France, passed in 1191.

Sunday 14 April – From San Miniato to Castelfranco di Sotto
In the morning: “San Miniato tra arte e storia” (San Miniato between art and history), a tour to discover the rich collection of the Museo dell’Arciconfraternita della Misericordia, housed in the historic Palazzo Roffia, and a visit to the Rocca di Federico II (Fortress of Frederick II), located on the highest point of the city, from which one can enjoy a splendid panorama. In the afternoon: tour of “Castelfranco and its Churches”, visiting the village, the Collegiate Church and the hidden churches in the historic centre. “The history of Castelfranco through the documents of the Historical Archive”: meeting with Castelfranco historian Giancarlo Nanni.

Sunday 21 April – From Santa Maria a Monte to Montopoli in Val d’Arno
In the morning: “La Villa Medicea de Le Pianore tra storia, arte e natura” (The Medici Villa of Le Pianore between history, art and nature), a guided tour to discover the Medici Villa of Grand Duke Ferdinand I designed by Buontalenti. A tour of the naturalistic ring of “Le Pianore”, with the oak forest of Cerbaie and the southern stretch of the ancient Lake of Sesto, on the edge of the largest sphagnum forest in the area. In the afternoon: ‘On the trail of the ancient castle of Marti’, a visit to the Bastion, the Parish Church of Santa Maria Novella, and the Antiquarium.

Sunday 28 April – From San Miniato to Santa Maria a Monte
In the morning: discovering the “Religious Orders in San Miniato”, visit to the Churches of the Santissima Annunziata (La Nunziatina), Santi Iacopo e Lucia (San Domenico), the Monastery of the Clarisse di San Paolo, San Francesco and the Diocesan Museum;. In the afternoon: ‘The underground city of Santa Maria a Monte’, a guided tour to discover natural cavities, cellars, underground passages, cisterns and wells in the historic centre, which have remained unchanged despite the passage of centuries. A route created with the initial function of a water and military network, usable by the inhabitants of the castle especially in the event of a siege.