{"id":52997,"date":"2024-02-29T12:34:18","date_gmt":"2024-02-29T11:34:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.terredipisa.it\/percorso\/on-a-vespa-from-pontedera-to-chianni-through-hills-and-woods\/"},"modified":"2024-03-13T10:12:06","modified_gmt":"2024-03-13T09:12:06","slug":"on-a-vespa-from-pontedera-to-chianni-through-hills-and-woods","status":"publish","type":"percorso","link":"https:\/\/www.terredipisa.it\/en\/percorso\/on-a-vespa-from-pontedera-to-chianni-through-hills-and-woods\/","title":{"rendered":"On a Vespa from Pontedera to Chianni through hills and woods"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A Vespa itinerary off the usual tourist routes. It starts from Pontedera, the gateway to Valdera, and arrives in the village of Chianni, crossing a landscape that from plain becomes first a hill and then a low mountain with woods and chestnut trees.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pontedera<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Points of Interest<\/h2>
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Piaggio Museum
Wall of Baj
PALP exhibition centre<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The itinerary starts at the Piaggio Museum in Pontedera, the city of motors that hosts the largest Italian museum dedicated to motorbikes and one of the largest in Europe. Over 250 models of Vespa, Ape, Ciao, mopeds and the group’s sports brands: Aprilia<\/strong>, Gilera<\/strong> and Moto Guzzi<\/strong> are on display in the approximately 5,000 square metres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pontedera is also a centre of contemporary art<\/strong>, with permanent sculptures on road roundabouts, in parks and squares (including the ‘author benches’ in Piazza Garibaldi). The Baj Wall along the railway is also worth a ‘pass’. Two exhibition centres complete the offer: the PALP exhibition centre in Palazzo Pretorio and the Centro Sete Sois Sete Luas near the Piaggio Museum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ponsacco<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Points of Interest<\/h2>
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Church of San Pierino
Villa Medicea<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

We proceed to Ponsacco, a town of furniture and furnishings<\/strong>, once characterised by the presence of numerous family-run craft businesses. In the Middle Ages, the town was an important castle on the border between the rival republics of Pisa and Florence and thus the scene of frequent clashes that destroyed bastions and walls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Oratory of the Madonna della Tosse<\/strong> with terracotta by della Robbia and the Church of San Giovanni<\/strong> with its sloping bell tower remain from the past.\n\nJust outside, in a dominant position, stands the Villa Medicea di Camugliano, one of the most important estates in Tuscany, whose old-world charm shines through as you visit the park with its English garden and outbuildings. On the way, just before the Villa, you will see a small church ‘framed’ by cypress trees. This is the Church of San Pierino, located in the private park of the Camugliano Estate<\/strong>, but clearly visible from the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n