The Itinerary

This itinerary unfolds along an ancient white country road, cut into the ridge of a long hill situated between the Virginio Valley and the borro of Staffoli, a small tributary of the Pesa River. The hill runs from northwest to southeast and has a minimal elevation difference, making it almost flat, as is typical for the hills of central Tuscany. The presence of cultivated fields along the road and the forest in the small watercourse valleys contributes to an extraordinary visibility, which is remarkable considering the modest altitude (between 164 and 150 meters above sea level).
These excellent scenic characteristics are complemented by a rich array of historical and architectural landmarks, spanning from the Middle Ages to the 19th century within about two kilometers, making the Via di Castiglioni an excellent open-air museum for exploring the historical landscape of the lower Valdipesa and its evolution over the centuries. The journey begins at the small bridge over the borro del Boscone. This modest structure hosts a place dedicated to collective memory and local identification: a memorial stone commemorating the partisan Settimo Agostini, killed here on July 27, 1944, during a gunfight with the Germans. The location also offers a wide panorama, extending on clear days to the Apennines: in the foreground is the ridge of the long hill hosting the Del Turco villa-farm, leading to the valley of the Pesa situated just beyond. Behind the wooded hills of Roveta (note, to the left, the hill with the trapezoidal-shaped Church of San Romolo a Settimo) lies the long silhouette of the Calvana and the Prato Apennines. In front of us, the profile of Monte Morello with its double peak emerges from behind the Roveta silhouette. To the right is the town of Romola, perched on the Roveta ridge, and behind it, the distant profile of Mount Falterona, and further right, the long ridge of Pratomagno.
A brief climb takes us to a crossroads where we continue straight, beginning a descent with a panorama now clearly facing northwest, allowing us to immediately spot the rugged shape of the Apuan Alps and the more regular profile of the Pistoian Apennines. Unfortunately, the landscape is dominated by monocultures, within which one can see the farmhouses that for centuries were part of the sharecropping system of the Castiglioni villa-farm owned by the Frescobaldi family. Shortly after, the road passes by the beautiful 18th-century Paterno estate, featuring a four-pitched roof and a central tower offset from the front, also with a four-pitched roof. This synchronic construction – like others encountered along the route – reveals its unchanged state over the centuries, referring to the Leopoldine design model theorized by the Grand Ducal architect Ferdinando Morozzi. In front of the farmhouse is the courtyard, which includes not only the barn but also the well covered by a double-pitched roof. The estate also housed the farm’s kiln for firing bricks and lime; the remains are still visible in the nearby forest.
Continuing along the panoramic ridge, we head towards the nearby Il Pino estate, which we reach quickly. Marquis Lamberto Frescobaldi, in his 1714 tax return, declared owning “a farm with a worker’s house called Podere i Pini.” This is what we see in front of us. Currently unused, the building remains unscathed by the drastic architectural changes that have affected these historic homes, especially internally to adapt to the dimensions of modern apartments.
The old road continues along the ridge, skirting the small, steep hill where the few remains of the Castiglioni castle are located. After passing the hill, we pass by the restored Giardino estate, while to our right and slightly lower is one of the most beautiful farmhouses along this route (the Giuncheto estate), still intact to this day.
The peak of the hill on our left hosts one of the oldest (documented) structures along the route, namely the medieval rectory of San Michele a Castiglioni, which shows, on its side, a stone wall of undoubted medieval origin as evidence of its age. Continuing, we pass through the rural village of I Muriccioli, now inhabited by families no longer engaged in agriculture. Note the presence of two olive mills by the roadside indicating that the small nucleus in past centuries served the nearby villa-farm, functioning as an oil press. We reach the farm after a short straight stretch among cypress trees, spotting the façade with its noble forms, including the large rusticated portal and the kneeling windows, typical of Florentine palaces.
Skirting the low boundary wall of the villa-farm, a final gently descending stretch leads to the small and charming family chapel of the Frescobaldi family, where our itinerary makes a 180° turn and returns to the starting point using the same route.