Tag: Tuscany tours

Monteriggioni was the image of the fortification on the hill-top, a sentinel in the defense of the Republic of Siena, has always inspired travelers.
Because of its beauty and position, it became a natural magnet for tourists nowadays it is visited by some 70,000 people every year.
Actually, Dante can be considered among the very first “tourists” to visit Monteriggioni.
Among those that visited it recently were Ted Kennedy, Tony Blair, and many other VIPs.

The Comune of Montecarlo whose territory gathers around the ancient castle that dominate, with the red of the walls and towers all the countryside around, characterised by vineyards – here , in fact, is the production centre of Montecarlo DOC wine – and rustic farm houses. Montecarlo was fonded in 1333, in the vicinity of ancient fortress of Cerruglio, by the inhabitants of two neighbouring towns – tuscany – that were destroyed during the wars of 1314 and 1331, in hounor of Karl of Bohemia who had aided the Lucchesi against the Florentines.
In the complex of the fortress of Montecarlo are prominent the suggestive Rocca (castle) with its ancient keep of Cerruglio, the central part being the work of Bohemian architects, and the 16th-c part, the two doors that are still intact, and the high walls. To be noted is the elliptically-shaped keep, an architectural typology that was quite common in France but rare in Italy.
Also worthy of note are the Palazzo dei Vicari, decorated with coats of arms, and the restored 18th-c Teatrino dei Rassicurati.
Instead little remains of ancient 14th-c. curch of Montecarlo, after the transformations at the end of the 18th-c.
The fresco of Madonna del Soccorso, the work of a late 14th-c.  artist, perhaps a pupiln of Angelo Puccinelli or of Francesco dell’Anguillara ( who were artistically active in Lucca from 1380 to 1390) has remarne unchanged.

At the beginning of the 14th century, when the perimeter wall was considerably narrower than it is today, Lucca was proud of the one hundred towers and more that had sprung up and which, from distance, almost resembled a forest. With the passing of time, nly a few have survived and currently only two can be visited. However, they are the two most impressive and important.
The first tower to be restored and opened to the public athe beginning of the 1980 is the Torre Guinigi, which, with its centurie sold holm oaks at the very top, is another of the city’s symbols.
Situated in the north west corner of the magnificent palace constructed in about 1384 by Michele, Francesco and Nicolao Guinigi, it is 41 metres high and built entirely of red brick.
A 230 step inner staircase leads to the top which, in the shade of the ancient holm oaks, affords beautiful views over the city, its monuments and the surroundings countryside.
The second tower, called Torre delle Ore because of the huge clock face situated near the top, was renovated and opened to the public in 1999.
The earliest information about this monument dates back to 1390, when hte General Council of Lucca decided to gift the city a clock without a face and which struck a bell only ance every hour. A century later the city authorities acquired the tower and it became the Torre Civica (public tower) with a face showing the hours.
Over the centuries new mechanism and new technologies were applied and the last, 18th century version, with its twelve Roman nume-rals, is the one that can still be seen today.
The tower and the clock workings make this mechanism one of the most interesting in Europe.

The Hermitage of Calomini, built against a rocky precipice in the Comune of Vergemoli, iso ne of the best-know and most-visited shrines in the Serchio Valley, together with those of San Pellegrino and the Argegna.
Access to the hermitage, which is built in the “abri” style of religious architecture and of which other examples are to be found in the Apuan Alps, is via an ancient stone portal.
The primitive Church, already documented in the XI century when the image of the Madonna della Penna was venerated here, was enlarged several times in the XII century and then reduced to its present size.
Today only the presbytery, the cells and the sacristy retain the characteristic of having been cut out of the living rock and left bare. In sacristy there is a large inlaid wooden cabinet with bas-reliefs made by the craftsman Luca pini in 1707.
From the document f 1361 in which the lay broche of the Cell of Sancta maria ad Mrtyres requested that th bishop should legalize the various donations made to the oratory, one can clearly see how Madonna della penna, was from the XIV century onwards.
The first episcopal grant of benefice dedicated to the Retreat of St. Mary of the Grotto is dated 2nd may 1444.
There was another in 1947 and from the XVI century onwards the fame of this Madonna grew to such an extent that bishops and cardinals journeyed to worship her.
Then between 1631 and 1690 the people with spontaneus donations did all they could to enlarge and render the ancient Church more magnificient.
At the beginning of the XVII century, the records of the shrine show that the double colonnade was built, the Grotto enlarged so a sto provide a fit setting for the sacristy, the Church floor made good and all other finishing touches necessary to make that place of prayer worthy of admiration were completed.
The hermits looked after the sanctuary until 1868 when the parish priests of the nearby villages-who by tradition were the administrators-decided to take on direct responsability for the task of promoting the worship of St.Mary of the grotto. Thus after a presence of over five centuries, the Hermits of Calomini were no more and their memory the people, when indicating the madonna ad Martyres, began calling her Madonna of the Hermit or simply “Hermit”
By the decree of 1914 made by the Bishop of Massa, the custody of the sanctuary was entraste to the Capuchin monks of Lucca who for over fifty years have conservedd that wich has arisen on this precipice out of a pure dedication to the Virgin.
On may and sptember numerous believers still climb this steep mountain wich holds intact the miracle of the waters in a vision of absolute purity.