The agricultural landascape of Montecarlo hills gives interesting panoramic views of the normal route that leadsto the old centre, and of buildings and the roads in the town itself, from the terrace (almost in front of the collegiate church of Sant’Andrea) which opens onto the Lucca side, from the nearby Montechiari hill, and from the top of the Fortress.
The landscape on the Lucca side mainly consists of neat rows of vineyards on the gentle slopes of the hills, olive groves, woodlands and the green areas of the “bird traps”. Various buildings, farmhouses, a few villas and scattering of residential nuclei with their terrcotta roofs, dot the landscape and provide perspective.
Various important farming concerns are situated at different points in this agricultural landascape. For example, Fattoria del Buonamico, Azienda Agricola Enzo Carmignani, Fattoria di Cercatoia, Azienda Agricola Belvedere….
the views from the hills of Montecarlo extend towards the former lake of Sesto and the mountains of Monti Pisani. Recognisable are: the village of Castelvecchio di Compito, Pieve di Compito e San Ginese, to the east; to the west, Lucca, and in the distance, the Panie mountains of the Apuan Alps.
The landscape on the Val di Nievole side of the plain is primarly characterised by hothouses for the cultivation of flowers, and activity that developed mainly after the Second World War and especially in the 1960s. Against the backdrop of the hills are recognisable: the cathedral and bell tower of Pescia, the Colleviti convent, the unmistakable modern buildings of the Flower Market a pescia, the village of Collodi and the slopes behind Castello dei Garzoni, the historical centres of Uzzano and Buggiani, Montecatini Alto and other centres and towns, and the vast reclaimed area of the Padule di Fucecchio.
