Bisenzio
Valley is situated between Apennine mountains of Tuscany
and Emilia.
The Bisenzio River, which runs through the Valley,
born in the Natural Reserve of Cantagallo and it has
strongly characterises the history of this territory.
Once it moved the mills, sustained factories and satisfied
the need of a great city as Prato, allowing the development
of many textile industries.
In Bisenzio valley there are 3 communes: Vernio, Cantagallo
and Vaiano.
VAIANO is the most important town
of the valley. It has a Roman origin and developed
after 11th century in the area of Badia, the heart
of the village: it consists in the Abbey of San Salvatore,
founded by the Benedictine monks, probably between
9th and 10th century. The ex Monastery (with the renaissance
cloister) where is situated an interesting Museum
of archaeological and sacred works of art and the
Bell Tower built in the first half of 13th century.
In the communes of Vaiano, on the left of the River
there are the Calvana’s mountains, which were land
of shepherds and breeders of bovines. Today it maintains
unchanged paths and landscapes.
In every season you can go for a walk in the little
villages of Sofignano, Le Fornaci and Villa San Gaudenzio,
Savignano e Schignano.
CANTAGALLO is the second commune
that you meet proceeding along the road 325 and it’s
the largest by territorial extension.
In Luicciana, the chief town of Cantagallo, it’s possible
to visit the “Outdoor Museum of contemporary art”.
This commune has a great territorial extension, so
we can find many villages scattered on the territory:
Carmignanello, where you can visit Villa Novellucci
or Rocca Cerbaia, an ancient residence of Conti Alberti,
Migliana, a much attended village for the fresh climate
in summer and for the walks in forest, Gavigno and
Fossato, small town to the border with the Pistoia
side.
VERNIO: since 1200’s the town was
the most important centre of the feud of the Alberti,
then from 1332 of the Bardi.
S.Quirico is the chief town of commune where every
year has place the “Sagra della Pulendina”. This is
the festival of Polenta, made with sweet chestnut
flour, which was for century the main food for valley’s
population. The historical buildings are: the “Casone”,
the current office of town hall, that was the home
of Conti Bardi and the Gallery that leads to the Oratory
of San Niccolò.
Few kilometres from S.Quirico there’s the town of
Mercatale, the much populous of the commune and until
from the Middle Age was place of markets and fairs.
Here we can find the “ex Meucci Factory”, today transformed
in a big building which can accommodate events and
it has a textile industry museum.
At last Montepiano, the village that marks the border
between Tuscany and Emila. Montepiano attracts many
tourists who want to spend a holiday in the nature,
in a pleasant and relaxant atmosphere, encircled by
the forest. It is important to signal a visit to Badia
of Santa Maria, built between XI and XII century.
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