Firenze Pisa San Gimignano Montecatini Terme Versilia

The farm PODERE CASALONE is ideal for those who like relax and contact with nature. You can walk in the woods or you can cycle if you prefer (we rent mountain bikes). In 10 minutes it is possible to reach by walking the center of the small town of Limite sull’Arno, where you can find a lot of shops, banks and a post- office. At only a  few minutes you can also find the town of Empoli,  where there is an important railway station  (by train it is easy to reach   Florence, Siena, Pisa and a lot of Tuscan cities). At only  5 km from the farm you can find the small medieval towns of Capraia Fiorentina and Montelupo Fiorentino, which are famous for the production of ceramic art and terra-cotta since the Middle Age. The Montalbano area is famous for its handcraft tradition that is still alive thanks to local masters; for example in the sector of shipyards (the small town of Limite sull’Arno is  known for the production in this sector). In a few minutes it is possibile to reach the town of VINCI, the birth-place of the great Leonardo da Vinci (you can’t miss the visit at the museum and at the birth-house!) or you can visit the nice town of Cerreto Guidi, small Medicean centre that has maintened its structure during the centuries (the Medicean  Villa is now a national museum). From the farm it is possibile to reach even by car the most important Tuscan cities: you can reach  Florence in only  30 minutes by car, Pisa in only  40 minutes, Siena and  San Gimignano in 50 minutes. It is easy to reach even the famous thermal centre Montecatini Terme and many sea places (the Versilia is only 50 minutes by car).

VINCI  Leonardo's Home Town  -  History

FLORENCE
 

HISTORY AND ART OF FLORENCE The city of Florence is the chief town of Tuscany, founded by the Romans who gave it the name of Florentia. In the Middle Ages, after the decline of the Barbaric ages, the city flourished again in the Carolingian age, reaching the highest points of civilization between the XI and the XV century, as a free Municipality, in a comfortable balance between the authority of the Emperors and that of the Popes, thus overcoming the uneasiness of the internal struggles between Guelphs and Ghibellins. In the XV century, Florence passed under the Lordship of the Medici who then became, thanks to a political act of territorial expansion, the Grand Dukes of Tuscany. It was this period, called the Renaissance, that of the highest splendors of the city in terms of the arts and the culture, politics and economic power. To the Grand duchy of Medici succeeded, in the XVIII century, that of the Lorena, until when, in 1860, with the unification of Italy in a sole Reign, Florence became part of this, playing the role of capital from 1865 to 1871. Florence is one of the most important towns from an artistic and historical point of view where you will find a number of monuments and museums of interest: The Cathedral Square (Piazza del Duomo) The Duomo is the Cathedral of Florence, dedicated to Saint Maria del Fiore and is in Italian Gothic style. The building was designed by Arnolfo di Cambio (1245-1302) and represents one of the greatest architectonic sculptures of that age. Of primary importance are the frescoes on the left side which show equestrian monuments of the “Condottiero” (leader-general) of Paolo Uccello (1436) and Andrea del Castagno (1456). The Cupola of the cathedral is by Filippo Brunelleschi who began his construction in 1420. The diameter of the widest part is 41.50 metres, close to the maximum allowed for any kind of cupola. Of particular importance is the technique used by Brunelleschi, innovative for that age as it was realized without the use of scaffolding; it supported itself in the course of the construction thanks to a double cap. The cathedral was finished in 1436 and its vaults were painted by Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574) and Federico Zuccari (c. 1540-1609) with a fresco representing the Last Judgment. The Baptistery, dedicated to S.Giovanni patron saint of Florence, kept the christening font, dismantled in the XVI century. The baptistery has an octagonal form and is covered with polychrome marble and surmounted by a pyramid roof with lantern. Famous are its bronze doors, the work of several artists such as Andrea Pisano (southern door) and Lorenzo Ghiberti (northern and eastern door).

The Bell tower of the cathedral, best known as "CAMPANILE DI GIOTTO", 85 meters high and divided into 5 floors was planned by Giotto although upon his death in 1337, only the lower part was completed. The job was continued under Andrea Pisano (c. 1290-1349) who realized the plan with slit windows and Francesco Talenti (active 1325-1369), who would accomplish the last three floors repeating the decoration in relief of the marble.

Galleria degli Uffizi (Gallery of the Uffizi)
When and how to visit Uffizi Gallery
It is one of the most famous museums of the world due to its extraordinary collection of paintings and ancient statues. Its collections of paintings of the XIV century and the Renaissance contain a number of absolute masterpieces of art from all times. One only needs to mention the names of Giotto, Leonardo, Raffaello, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Verrocchio and many others.
Also important are the collections of German, Dutch and Flemish painters, as: Dürer, Rembrandt and Rubens. The exhibition is situated on the second floor of the great building constructed between 1560 and 1580 and is displayed in 45 rooms and in the hallways arranged along three galleries. In the Vasarian complex other important collections are housed: the Contini Bonacossi Collection and the Cabinet Designs and Prints of the Uffizi.
Vasarian corridor: a suspended corridor realized by Vasari in 1565, connects the building of the Uffizi with the Old Palace and Pitti Palace. Here important collections of paintings of the XVII century and the collection of the Self- Portraits are exhibited.

Palazzo PITTI (Pitti Palace)
Constructed around 1450, in ancient times it was the residence of the grand-dukes of Tuscany and subsequently of the kings of Italy: today it houses various important collections of paintings and sculptures, objects of art, chinaware and a gallery of the costume. Behind Palazzo Pitti extends the Garden of Boboli, one of the first and most famous Italian gardens.
The Palatine Gallery and the Royal Apartments occupy the entire upper floor of Pitti Palace. The palatine Gallery, situated in the left wing of the Palace, was created between the end of the XVIII century and the first decades of the XIX century by the Lorena who placed in the exhibition halls the masterpieces taken predominantly from the collections of the Medici family that comprise the works of Raffaello, Tiziano, Caravaggio, Rubens, Pietro da Cortona and other Italian and European masters.
The Royal apartments occupy the fourteen magnificent rooms of the right wing of the Palace, already private residence of the reigning families with furniture, furnishings and works of art from the XVI to the XIX century.

Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge)
The most ancient bridge of Florence, built perhaps already by the age of the Roman settlement, was constructed at the narrowest point of the Arno in 1345.
The bridge is so wide that laterally it comprises two porches that accommodate the characteristic wooden shops that once belonged to becchai (or butchers), replaced afterwards by those in brick passing to goldsmiths and silversmiths, following the construction of the above Vasarian corridor which upon exiting the old palace allowed the Medici family to reach Pitti Palace (family residence ) without going out onto the road. At the central point of the bridge, there is a beautiful view over the Arno where the bust of Benvenuto Cellini is situated .

Piazza della Signoria e Palazzo Vecchio
Piazza della Signoria, civil and political Centre of the city from the Middle Ages to date, is a singular urban creation that began to take shape starting from 1268. The "Palazzo Vecchio" - as we see it today - is the fruit of at least three constructive phases that followed one another one after another starting from about 1300 on the plan of Arnolfo di Cambio with the front overlooking the square and next to the XIV century Loggia dei Lanzi which houses a number of famous sculptures. In front of the facade, you will be able to see numerous statues among which the David of Michelangelo ( original: Gallery of the Academy ).
The Hall of the XVI century, the Studiolo of Francesco I and the four monumental apartments are accessible to the public : the Quartiere degli Elementi, the Quartiere di Eleonora di Toledo, the Residence of the Priors and the Quartiere di Leone X, where today there are the reception rooms once more hosts the sittings of the town council and therefore not always open to the public.

Bargello Museum
What to see at the Bargello Museum
The palace is one of the most ancient Florentine public buildings Florentine constructed half way through the XVIII century for the Captain of the People. It then became the offices of the Governor and subsequently of the Bargello (or Captain of Justice) accommodating between 1500 and the end of 1700 the Florentine jails.
From 1865, some of the most important sculptures of the Renaissance converged at the palace, which became National Museum, among which masterpieces of Donatello, Michelangelo and Cellini.

PISA
 

Pisa is much more than the famous Leaning Tower and deserves a longer stay while the irreplaceable to the beautiful Piazza dei Miracoli UNESCO World Heritage Site. Antica Repubblica Marinara, Pisa is a city born and raised along the Arno. The inlets of the river make suggestive and never equal to the same view of the Arno river and the buildings that face on them, which can be seen from the five bridges crossing the Arno river or from boats. The charm of the Arno River in Pisa have wrote, among others, Byron, Shelley, Montesquieu, Leopardi, Carducci, D'Annunzio and Foscolo. Pisa is the city of Galileo Galilei, which gives its name to its main international airport and which in 2009 was celebrated the fourth centenary of the first astronomical observations. Pisa has an outlet to the sea and a coastline surrounded by the Regional Natural Park Migliarino San Rossore. In just a few miles of the coast, Marina di Pisa, Tirrenia and Calambrone offer visitors three different types of bathing offer. The four districts of the city's historic center revive their traditions in the Game of Bridge, a major historical event that takes place in June, during the festivities connected to the patron Saint Ranieri. At dusk on June 16, all night, the Lungarni off their lights and light up with candles placed on frames that follow the outlines of decks and windows of the buildings: it is the magical atmosphere of the Illuminations. The districts of the historic center of Pisa maintain their identity from the medieval flavor, just dig into the streets and alleys that branch off from the axis North-South Course Italy - Borgo Stretto. Walking these streets you can discover corners and highly evocative squares, churches of ancient beauty, restaurants based on traditional Tuscan cuisine. Pisa is a city of research and university studies, with the presence of institutions of excellence nationally and internationally: the Scuola Normale Superiore, Piazza dei Cavalieri in the enchanting, and the School of Advanced Studies and Specialization Sant'Anna, the beautiful Piazza dei Martiri of Liberty, the National Research Council (CNR).

Pisa hospital center of excellence, it is yachting, biomedical and pharmaceutical industry is. In the coming years will be re-port, with the start of work on the marina. In recent years, the city is the center of major redevelopment works, such as moving the hospital toward the east, following the expected recovery of the hospital area adjacent to the Piazza dei Miracoli, the walkway on the walls, the Museum of Roman Ships.

Stop in Pisa to enjoy a city allows you to "human scale", to live with "slow", populated by many young people who love each other, since the summer, find themselves on the "shoulders" of the Arno.