In Tuscany… to discover the jewels of Terre di Pisa

A very interesting area to discover Tuscany

Among fortresses, castles and a chartreuse jewel, in a breathtaking countryside where among the vineyards check out the amazing Teatro del silenzio signed by Andrea Bocelli.

The villages in the hills around Pisa

Over thirty municipalities have given away the Terre di Pisa project aimed at enhancing this corner of Tuscany. And since we are curious, we begin our journey among the less known places.
Few kilometers from Pisa, in a natural amphitheater at the foot of the Monti Pisani and at the center of the Valgraziosa, here finally Calci. Here we visit the monumental complex in Baroque style of the Certosa di Pisa, with the prior’s apartment, the library, the historical archive and the pharmacy, and the Museum of Natural History and Land of the University of Pisa that, in addition to hosting a one of the largest cetaceans in Europe, it boasts an important freshwater aquarium. Further east is the ancient medieval village of Vicopisano where you can visit the impressive monumental complex of the Rocca del Brunelleschi and Palazzo Pretorio.

Hidden places in Tuscany

At this point we take the road to Pontedera – where to stop to visit the Piaggio Museum, and then continue to Palaia, a village of Etruscan origin, which today presents a typically medieval structure with the fortress, in whose surroundings visit the Museum of the farming culture of Montefoscoli. In a holm oak wood near the village of Montefoscoli you can admire the nineteenth-century Temple of Minerva Medica, a mysterious and disturbing building that can be visited once a month on full moon nights.
Not far away, on a clayey spur, the small village of Toiano, almost completely abandoned, and Villa Saletta, which still features the typical structure of an ancient castle with walls and unique central street. After a stop in Terricciola, a wine town with some cellars where you can stock up on good bottles and visit the Sanctuary of the Madonna di Monterosso and the ancient Badia Camaldolese di Morrona, you can head south until you reach Lajatico.

The birthplace of Andrea Bocelli

Lajatico is an inhabited center of Longobard origin that gave birth to Andrea Boccelli, creator of the suggestive Teatro del Silenzio created by exploiting the natural conformation of a hill near the village. Nearby is the Rocca di Pietracassia, built in the Lombard period to guard the road that led to the copper mines of Montecatini and considered one of the most important examples of early medieval architecture in the whole of Tuscany.

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