As ancient as time itself, Malmantile stands as a fortified village. A few kilometers down the old Via Pisana from Lastra A Signa leads in the direction of Montelupo Fiorentino. There among the majestic hills, the Medieval Castle of Malmantile beckons with the ancient hands of time. Though not a very big fortification, the castle built in the 15th century is unusual with its strong walls still holding out against the elements of time. Though the origins are mysterious, Malmantile was a military stronghold on the old road that connected Florence with Pisa before it evolved into a town. An interesting fact accompanies the name ‘Mamantile’. As the legends traverse back to the 4th century, S. Ambrogio, the bishop of Milan was travelling to central Italy and en route met S. Zanobi, the bishop of Florence. The bishops were put up at a homestead there. When S.Ambrogio left, he was so upset at the bad treatment he received there and cursed the place. A few days later, the homestead crashed and fell to the ground. After this strange event, the place was named ‘Malmantile’ which in ancient Italian meant ‘bad welcome’.
The Gothic walled enclosure dates back to 1424 and was one of the first of its kind to be built. As a fortified town wall, it was a classic example with machicolations along the perimeter, the style of which was used through the following years. As another accolade, the famous architect, Brunelleschi was involved in its construction. Forming a perfect rectangle, the walls have a dimension of 125×70 meters with 2 gates. Though the walls still stand, there is little remaining of the machicoulis. Formed by brackets in stone, four rounded projections were built with bricks to support the ogival arch made of “beccatelli” or gray stone. On the alternate arches there were holes or protrusions with square embrasures, from where, during an attack, defenders dropped heavy objects or boiling liquids on the enemies who climbed up the wall. The whole boundary wall had slits at ten meter intervals to permit a man armed with bow and arrows to look through and aim at the enemy.
The town-walls have square towers at its angles and two towers at the middle of the longest sides. The two gates have curved arches structured on the outside of the town wall with loopholes on both sides. Part of the wall facing Pisa on the southwest still retains the machicolation with a parapet. At the south of the gate, the walls are pierced by the windows of the houses built on the inside. The northwest side is open but almost covered by the houses built on the outside. The gate that leads to Florence is in dire need of renovation. The walls were very important as the Florentine Republic found it necessary to control the road leading to the enemy boundary of Pisa. But the construction of the walls took time and was finished only after Pisa was conquered. The fortified strategic point of the road to Pisa lost its importance after the fall of the Florentine Republic in 1530. As a result of which Malmantile remained an isolated post and was not touched by modernity.
Today, Malmantile is quiet and tranquil with few or no tourists. This ancient town houses a few shops, a school, a pharmacy and a post office. There is a lovely 16th century cantina there that serves traditional fare such as, game dishes among which you can find Sweet and Sour Hare/Rabbit. You can also find a delicious and filling ‘panino con salame e stracchino’ or a bread roll with salami and rich cheese and plenty of Chianti Colle Bertini made at the Fattoria. Malmantile between the months of May and June re-enacts the ‘Festa Medievale‘ or a medieval festival or joust.
The Lardo of Colonnata
Marble is the reason that the tiny village of Colonnata exists, but the Lardo has made the town famous. This poor man’s food that was once served on bread rubbed with a tomato and onion, now commands top prices and draws visitors to this remote mountain area in the heart of the Carrara marble quarries. But what is it, and how is it made? Why is Lardo di Colonnata so special, not just a piece of pork fat, used to flavor soups and stews, but a highly prized treat?
The preparation of lardo has been documented for nearly as long as written history has existed. The laws of Justinian demanded that legionnaires be fed ample doses of lard to keep them healthy and energetic. In the 13th century, the first statutes regulating lard making appeared. Lardo was a part of the rural life of all of Italy.
In Colonnata, the local marble became tubs to hold the lardo, chiseled from the stones that were unfit for artists and artisans because of their brittle nature. These chiseled tubs still are used in the making of Lardo di Colonnata. They are bigger now, but their shape and use are the same. This marble is dry, glassy and porous, too fragile for use in statuary or decoration, but perfect as refrigeration: it protects the lardo from humidity, and lets oxygen circulate around the curing fat. There are no refrigeration plants in Colonnata. Preservatives are banned; it is the marble and the special curing that allow this product to exist so naturally.
The marble basins are washed and treated with vinegar each September. When they are ready, the lard making process begins and lasts until spring. The pigs arrive from farms that are regulated by the Parma and San Daniele prosciutto consortiums; they must be at least nine monthsold, and weigh 160 kilos. When the pigs are butchered, the curing begins.
The walls of the tubs are rubbed with garlic, and the slabs of lard are massaged with sea salt, which is then rinsed away. The bottom of the tub is covered with another special salt, then layers of lard are added, one on top of the other. What makes the Lardo di Colonnata unique is layers of ground black pepper, chopped garlic, and chopped rosemary that are added between each slab of lard before the entire tub is left to cure for six months. Additional spices, such as cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, oregano, star anise, and sage are added according to the special recipe of the individual lard maker. The basins are sealed with marble slabs, and for six months they are checked to make sure the curing is coming along as expected. The resulting product is amazingly sweet and delicate. In Tuscany, they say “it dissolves in the mouth.”
Montelupo has been known over the centuries as an innovative and versatile center for creating masterpieces in ceramics. Montelupo was founded in the early Middle Ages and was taken over by the Florentine Republic in 1204. The area was again re-built as a military township and towards the 14th century the town was encircled by walls to protect it against enemies. Montelupo is 25 kilometers from Florence and evolves over an area near the Arno. Ranging over the southwestern hills of Florence, Montelupo lies in an area where the Arno joins the Pesa river valley. Montelupo expanded with a big villa built by the Medici family on the left bank of the Arno bordering the neighborhood of Ambrogiana. By the 19th century, the villa was turned into a prison asylum called the Ospedale Psichiatrico Guidiziario. But the innate talent and passion of the people of Montelupo grew and was sculpted into magical masterpieces in ceramics. Combining old techniques with new and blending art with ideas, Montelupo treasured and guarded fiercely a legacy of ceramic creations.
The artisans of Montelupo enchanted the world with an amazing variety of designs in vases, plates, plaques, tiles, flooring bricks and a host of versatile majolicas. The traditional Ceramic Festival at Montelupo opens myriad delights with the inhabitants dressing in costumes with a colorful pageantry of musicians and jugglers. The Medici Villa dell’Ambrogiana displays the work of its master craftsman, Buontalenti. Montelupo can be reached by crossing Montalbano and just before the middle bank of the River Arno, Montelupo, the ‘Town of Ceramics’, evolves over the lovely countryside of Tuscany. The soil of the river banks has molded the destiny of Montelupo with its rich natural clay soil that is ideal for craftsmen to sculpt this porous material into the making of the famous majolica. The warm and dry climate of the Mediterranean basin has been suitable for the creation of porcelain, ceramic and stoneware. The Majorcan merchants brought in this incredible art from overseas. The creations went through the influences of Hispano-Moresque lusterware, the Renaissance and that of Chinese porcelain. As a result, the ceramic creations were transformed into Faience, the French term for pottery or wares from Faenza, Italy. Soon it was the fashion and the nobility entranced with this lovely form of art, the majolica was used to decorate buildings, palazzos, royal courts and cathedrals.
The ceramic route evolved over the Tiber in Umbria and the Arno in Tuscany with various styles as history patterned people’s lives. Contado in the 13th century woke up from the heavy influence of the ‘stovigliai’ to the ‘archaic majolica’ that produced high quality ceramic products. The talented inhabitants of Montelupo experimented and produced awesome styles that ranged from the ‘international gothic’ the ‘graffite tirreniche’ (scratching technique) and the white ‘ingobbio’ style ending in the Florentine technique which included calcium or limestone and resulting in a stronger texture and finish. The 13th and 14th centuries saw the Montelupo craftsmen using ‘boccali’ which was a white kind of clay glazed over with a deep and creamy finish that was so beautiful that there was no need for the decorative finish which is evident in the ‘bianchi’ (whites) from Faenza. A series of changes resulted in an innovation by the artisans of Florence who used ‘bistugio’ covered by the Montelupo white glaze that brought about the ‘archaic blue majolica’. This was accepted with much popularity as the blue pigment blended with copper oxide resulted in the effect of lapis lazuli with deeper dimensional aspects. Majolica was used in relief works as ceramics with enamel resulting in the ‘zaffera’ work which can be seen in the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore and Massaccio’s Brancacci Chapel.
The Montelupo Museum of Archaeology and Ceramics in 1989 discovered a Roman ‘villa rustica’ which goes back to the 1st century B. C. near the Virginio River. The ‘slave villa’ or the ‘villa schiavistica’ is a unique find on the Tyrrhenian coast, north of Tuscany. Spurred on by this discovery, the Museum authorities dedicated the two upper floors to house archaeological exhibits that trace the origin of the majolica from the 1400s and the history of the influence of Montelupo ceramics. The origin of the famous majolica is displayed in a collection of 3,000 pieces of ceramics from the early Middle Ages to the Modern Period. The floors display the Local Archaeology section (Prehistoric times, Etruscans, Romans) and the Montelupo Ceramics section, from the Middle Ages up to the 18th century. The panels on the walls describe the evolution of ceramics with an old ceramics furnace inspired by the craftsmanship and dexterity.
Francesco Antinori signed a contract with 23 masters of ceramics for three years with three unique typologies. The 15th century saw the popularity of the Montelupo majolica going overseas to reach out to the whole world. As incredible information, 90% of the archaeological finds of Montelupo majolica were found in Amsterdam, London and Southampton. Lorenzo the Magnificent’s majolica collection was described as rinfrescatoi, scodelle, piatelli and alberelli as ‘di terra lavorata a Montelupo, bella’ (made from clay worked in Montelupo). Francesco Antinori also contributed other forms of majolica, especially, ‘donò Francesco Antinori per la caccia’ (given by Francesco Antinori for hunting). The museum opens out the art of colouring in ceramics with ‘zaffera tricolor’, the ‘damaschino’ and ‘istoriato’ styles. The Valdarno ceramists created the beautiful Madonna and Child, two lovely angel candle-stick holders in the Robbia style. The Medici collection features two pharmacy jars with Cosma and Damiano. Two bricks are seen with the building mark of Henry IVth. As another interesting fact, between the 1611 and 1617, eight floor coverings of majolica were ordered by Maria de’Medici, Queen of France for her Louvre Castle and her palace in Luxembourg. The lovely orci from the Marni workshop in Montelupo was bought by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 1974.
The major majolica centers and their beautiful ceramic collection is seen in Deruta near Perugia that is known for its Bella Donna plates, intricate designs with Luster and Ricco Deuta and Raffaellesco designs and is famous for its school of Majolica in Italy. Gubbio and Gualdo Tadino were famous for their firing techniques with a gold and ruby finish that resembles these precious substances and was popular among the wealthy people. Orvieto and Siena are popular for their Etruscan style and Dame plates with court figures with deep purple and brown effects and copper oxide. Firenze and Sesto Fiorentino, under the patronage of the Medicis and other noble families was rich in its talent and creations in Majolica. Urbino, Pesaro and Casteldurante were patronized by the Montefeltro family which nurtured the talent of the young Raphael whose master was Perugino and whose influence spread to the entire region. Faenza was the seat of the powerful Della Rovere family and it was during the 17th century that the Count Fermiani on his travels to the Orient was inspired by Chinese porcelain from which evolved the Carnation pattern. Montelupo has had a long and fruitful heritage in the creation of majolica.
The fortress of Montecarlo and the Bastion of Cerruglio
The fortress is entered from the steep slope that leads to Piazza Garibaldi.
The mastio, the higest part which also includes the ancient bastion of Cerruglio, is the oldest part of the monument complex; the head of the frotress is almost cylindrical in shape and is situated at the northwest edge.
It is completed on the opposite side by two square toers called the tower of the Aapparizione (in the west) and the Cerruglio, also known as the Santa Barbara tower (in the east), which creates an imposing, triangular-shaped layout.
The enlargment of the fortress dates back to the second half of the 15th century or the first years of the 16th, when a new shaped structure with a semicircular tower was added and the ancient keep was adapted to accomodate the new strategies of attack after the introduction of firearms. Other fortification work was carried out under the medici: Cosimo I ordered the bastions to be raised, but this was never carried out even though the work began again in 1592 under Ferdinand I.
No longer considered to be suitable for military purposes, the fortress was offered for sale by Pietro Leopoldo, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and it became private property in 1775. The restoration and maintance work on the monumental complex has been carried out by the owners themselves and it can be visited by appointment.
Secret Tuscany: Artimino village
Resembling a perfect painting, Artimino is picturesque and beautiful. Nestling in the green hills of Tuscany, Artimino is quaint and medieval and has been known for its famous Medici ‘Villa La Ferdinanda’. Ranging over the wine producing area of the Vino di Carmignano, the wine of this region was declared s a noble wine by the Grand Duke Cosimo III de’Medici.
The Etruscans named the area as Artumeno in the 8th century BC. History has recorded Artimino in its annals as numerous Etruscan burial chambers were found in the areas of Comeano and Poggio a Caiano around Artimino. The Roman style is still found in the names of the villages and the farmhouses in this area. The Castle of Artimino was constructed in the Middle Ages during the 10th century. Due to the focal strategic point of Artimino there were constant tussles between Florence and Pistoia. In the middle of the 14th century, Artimino came under the rule of Florence.
Beautiful as a natural park, Artimino and the areas around it was bought by Cosimo I de’Medici. He named the area as ‘Barco’, and desired to create a game reserve there. The park stretched over the hilly regions of Artimino till the edges of Vinci and was called the ‘Parco Reale’. The Medici family considered it their hunting grounds and constructed a wall around the park to prevent the game from escaping. Hunting was considered an enjoyable sport as well as a lucrative form of entertainment due to the fact that the skin and meat of the game was valuable. The Grand Duke Ferdinand appreciated the beauty and value of Artimino and took charge of the cultivation areas and the houses of Artimino to create the royal ‘fattoria’ or the estate. The royal architect Bernado Buontalenti, was commissioned to build a beautiful palazzo that could house the entire court. What transpired was the gorgeous Villa La Ferdinanda in 1594. With incredible architecture, this amazing villa was structured at Poggio a Caiano. The lovely villa is just 15 minutes away by car from Prato, the capital of the province and also from Montelupo Fiorentino and Vinci. The awesome city of Florence is just 20 minutes away from the villa.
The village of Artimino is guarded by a huge tower that was used as a look-out by the “protezione civile” or the civil authorities for fires or if they were going to be attacked by enemies. With the harmony of linear form and lovely features, the Villa La Ferdinand possessed the fantastic architecture of a 100 chimneys built at various angles in different forms and shapes. This was incorporated as one of the villa’s incredible features due to the fact that Ferdinand who loved to hunt could keep his guests warm always. The Villa houses grand ballrooms, enormous suites, small chapels, wine cellars and the Etruscan Museum. Adorned by lovely frescoes by Pontormo, Andrea del Sarto and other famous artists, the Villa La Ferdinand has two adjacent buildings. One of the buildings called the ‘Corridoio’ or Corridor housed the grooms, valets, and servants, but has been converted into the Hotel Paggeria Medicea as seen today. The second building is the “Palazzo del Sig. Biagio Pignatta” is constructed in the same style as the first building. The Palazzo del Sig. Biagio Pignatta has been named after the valet of the Grand Duke Ferdinand I, who lived on the first floor. The ground floor was originally the riding stables of the noble family but has been transformed into the famous Restaurant Biagio Pignatta offering delicious international and traditional cuisines and the wines of Artimino.
The area of Artimino comprises of 732 hectares out of which 72 hectares face the South and are used as the wine growing area with the cultivation of Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Trebbiano, San Colombana, Mammolo, Occhio di Pernice varieties of grapes. About 400 meters away from the Villa La Ferdinand, the fattoria in the medieval village produces the famous Barco Reale and the Vin Santo wines. The olive groves evolve over 180 hectares with the fattoria producing the renowned cold pressed oil. Visitors can enjoy traditional snacks served at restaurants in the village of Artimino with its ancient stone buildings, quaint shops and Romanesque churches. Artimino offers the spirit of the medieval ages and the essence of natural beauty.
