Running Race from Sant’Ermo to Casciana Terme

The 50 km long route involves the towns of Sant’Ermo, Casciana Terme and Lari. The meeting point is in the church square in Sant’Ermo, a hilltop village that offers architectural beauties such as the church of Sant’Ermete, but also civil buildings such as the Cinitolo, a large water tank at the foot of the village or Villa Upezzinghi, home of the Cantina Volpi, and the Sky Bench, the giant bench that has become an artistic work by Alberto Cappiello

The wash houses are very old. Originally they drew water from a spring, still active today, which provided drinking water to all the families in the village. Then the public service took over and the wash houses continued to be used for a few more years, until the water reached all the houses. To wash, a stone cistern filled naturally from the gushing water, and underneath two basins, one larger and one smaller, allowed the washerwomen to wash and rinse the clothes. The used water was channeled and dispersed. Above the wash houses there was a field exposed to the sun’s rays, where clean clothes were left to dry. The wash houses are at least 500 meters away from the village, and the women walked there both in summer and winter, with enormous baskets on their heads.