The lands of Leonardo
The thought that in these places, between Montalbano and Padule di Fucecchio, Leonardo was born and raised, arouses emotions that are already, by themselves, a key to understanding the landscape, the villages, the faces that meet.
Leonardo was born in Vinci , but the charm of the surrounding landscape influenced his early training and sensitivity, as his first drawings testify.
A landscape made of waters and hills, agriculture and craftsmanship, where man’s ingenuity was sharpened in comparison with the nature of the Marshes and with the rocks of the hills.
A story of landscapes, but also of techniques, perfected to get the best out of an often indomitable countryside. The work of centuries has led to the current wealth of vineyards and olive plantations, in the wake of an ancient tradition, which has always indicated in the Montalbano of the Vinci side a land suitable for such productions. Economy, history, environment and the luminous charm of the genius Leonardo accompany the path that, beyond Vinci, touches Lamporecchio, Cerreto Guidi, their surroundings, up to Limite and Capraia and the Etruscan settlement of Montereggi.
The starting point: Lamporecchio
- From Lamporecchio to Cerreto Guidi SP 48 and SP 31.
- From Lamporecchio to Vinci, follow Via Leonardo da Vinci – Via Lamporecchiana.
- From Vinci to Capraia e Limite: head towards Spicchio, SP13, SP 106.
How to get:
From Pistoia, SP 9, SP 46 and SP 16.
Not to be missed
Lamporecchio: National Chamber Music and Guitar Competition, National Piano Competition, March; Ecological bicycle, April 25; Classical music concerts in the churches and parishes of Montalbano, every Monday in July and August; Cinema under the stars, July / August; August Fair and Brigidino Festival, the week before the first Tuesday of August; Castles and fortifications, hiking on Montalbano, September.
Clove: Musical Tuesdays, Classical music concerts in Villa Rospigliosi, every Tuesday from the last week of May to the end of June.
Win : Leonardian Celebrations, from April to July: Lettura Vinciana, at the Leonardo Library, Saturday closest to April 15, Artingegno, 3rd Sunday in May, Renaissance Dinner and Leonardo’s Mensa, food and culture itineraries for the village at the end June. Vinci in the summer, from July to September: Summer festival of shows, music, theater, cinema and folkloristic festivals: July Fair and Cecco Santi’s Flight, last Wednesday in July, 10th August “Calici di Stelle”; Feast of oil and new wine, 2nd Sunday of November.
Cerreto Guidi : Wine Show, 2nd and 3rd weekend of July; Palio del cerro, 1st Saturday in September; Feast of Santa Liberata, 1st Sunday of September; events included in September Cerretese, last Sunday of August / mid-September.
Stabbia : Antiques Exhibition, April 25th.
Low : Fish festival, last weekend of June and first of July.
Lazzeretto : Pizza festival, mid-August mid-September.
Limit on the Arno : Festambiente, April 25; Trekking of the cellars, last Sunday of May; Dinner of the districts, third Saturday in July; Palio di San Lorenzo, 3rd Sunday in July; Aia in festa, last Saturday in August; September Limite, various initiatives in Castra and Limite.
Capraia Fiorentina : Italian Prize Exhibition, April; Various Artists Exhibition, May; Exhibition in collaboration with the Montelupo Fiorentino International Ceramics Festival, last week of June; Capraia in festa, 4th week of July; Personal and collective exhibitions, October and November.
Things to see
San Baronto (Abbey church with crypt), Papiano, Porciano (parish church, castle), Fornello, Tigliano, Vinci (Leonardo da Vinci Museum, housed in the Conti Guidi Castle and in the Uzielli Palace; Church of Santa Croce, Sanctuary of the Santissima Annunziata, Church of S. Giovanni Battista in S. Ansano in Greti, Church of S. Maria Assunta in Faltognano, Church of S. Pietro in S. Amato, Villa Martelli, Villa del Ferrale, Villa Calappiano, Villa Dianella), Vitolini (Church of San Pietro Apostolo), Montalbiolo, Poggio alla Malva (Church of S. Stefano, monumental gate), Verghereto (Church of San Pietro), Bacchereto (Pieve di S. Maria Assunta, Oratory of the company of the Body of Christ), Capezzana (Oratory of S. Jacopo), Santa Cristina a Mezzana (Priory of Santa Cristina), Artimino (Etruscan necropolis of Prato Rosello, Pieve di San Leonardo and Santa Maria, Municipal Archaeological Museum at the Medici Villa La Ferdinanda), Pietramarina (site archaeological and holm oak forest).
