The Itinerary

This itinerary takes place in the far southern part of Montespertoli. The Tresanti area is considered the most peripheral of the entire Montespertoli territory, both in general terms and because it is served only by local roads that connect to a network also on the outskirts of the more dynamic and commercially developed areas of Valdelsa.
The small nucleus of Tresanti, with its church dedicated to St. James, is the starting point of the route. In addition to the sacred building, there are a few small homes surrounding it from the north and a large 19th-century manor house (located to the southeast) that stands out with its bulk over the rest. It is a small snapshot reflecting the typical urban and social situation present in the Florentine and Sienese countryside (and to some extent in the Pistoian and Pisano areas) until the mid-1960s, when the peasant civilization collapsed almost overnight. The large water reservoir encountered after the church as we head towards Chinigiano (our route’s destination) reminds us of the ‘great thirst’ suffered by Tresanti’s inhabitants in the recent past, when the lack of electricity and aqueducts forced the population into a continuous – and during the summer months, desperate – search for the precious and vital liquid, which was rare on these arid clay hills.
Soon, we reach Chinigiano, where a pleasant surprise awaits: at the far end of the village (opposite our direction of travel), a small flat area opens up to a breathtaking view that stretches south over a sea of clay dominating the landscape.
The modest elevation of Chinigiano at just under 200 meters might not suggest the vast panorama that unfolds before you, leaving the walker amazed. Directly ahead is the long wooded ridge dividing Valdelsa from Valdera, with the towns of Gambassi Terme (to the left) and Montaione (to the right); to the right, the ridge descends towards Balconevisi and the Valdarno di Sotto. Further right, you can see the profile of Monte Serra with its array of antennas at the summit, and even farther right, the rugged outline of the Apuan Alps. To the left of Gambassi is the wooded ridge of Cornocchio and Poggio del Comune with San Gimignano in the distance. In the foreground are the clay hills surrounding the valley of the Tresanti stream. A frame provided by the municipal administration, along with an invitation to observe the landscape, exemplifies the power and allure of this view. We return to the church, passing it and then turning left onto the local road leading towards the nearby cemetery.
Along this stretch, you can notice repeated signs of popular religiosity, represented by shrines built into the walls of homes and tabernacles placed along the road. These reflect how, during the peasant civilization, the utilitarian use of religion by the farming class was a widely diffused constant, still evident today from the many signs left along the roads.
To the right, there is a beautiful view of the valley of the Chiocciolino stream (see related itinerary), with Lucardo hill rising above the rest of the territory. We pass an abandoned farmhouse where the predominant building material is brick, indicating that the surrounding landscape is dominated by clay and sand. This aspect has influenced both the morphology of this small area and the use of construction materials. We reach the cemetery at the junction where we keep left and quickly arrive at what was historically called the Pino. This rural nucleus consists of a charming recently restored chapel and a massive farmhouse facing it.
The route along the local road offers repeated and evocative panoramic points over a vast area extending well beyond Montespertoli, reaching regional borders. Furthermore, this road has historical significance, evidenced by its presence on the 1819 plantario (map) archived in Montespertoli’s historical records. We pass some scattered houses named Morcone, once farmhouses, one of which was the site of the discovery in the summer of 1943 of the Tresanti treasure, a bag containing 16th-century coins (see the attached itinerary sheet). The road follows the long ridge of the hill, descending and rising with gentle slopes, offering extensive panoramas both to the north and south: from Monte Serra to the Apuan Alps and the Pistoian Apennines to the northeast; from San Gimignano to the high wooded hills of Poggio del Comune and Cornocchio to the south.
We then reach the small cemetery of Voltigiano, with the nearby church serving the scattered population of Morcone. At this point, the itinerary returns, retracing the same path.