The Wonders of Certaldo
I have to tell everyone, I think I have found the perfect excursion from Florence for a day. Yesterday I took the 53-minute train ride from Florence (or 35 min by car) to the fascinating town of Certaldo. The train ride alone is worth it, sweeping Tuscany hills, vineyards and hilltop medieval villages. I’ve never been to a city that had the upper and lower versions (Certaldo Alto e Basso). The bottom portion (alto) is like any modern city in Tuscany, with many shops, bars and restaurants. The jewel of this city is the Certaldo Alto, where you can ride a funicular (runs every 10 minutes from the main road) up the tiny, captivating village on the hill. The second you step off the tram, you find yourself back in time. Cobblestone streets, ivy covered buildings, a long, steep strada leading towards the Palazzo Pretorio, where the Florentine governors resided, has a picturesque faade and court adorned with coats of arms, and in the interior are various frescoes dating from the I3th to the 16th century. As I walked along with a friend from Certaldo, the streets were lined with the locals, sitting and chatting, their “Ciao!” ringing down the street. Here you’ll find the accent to be quite amusing, and for anyone learning Italian, note that they drop their hard “C”s quite often. For example, “American” becomes “Amerian”. For the first few minutes I was thinking “Am I missing something?” Well, in a way, yes, but you don’t have to miss out. The people here were incredibly kind, talkative and eager to hear my story. And the gelato in centro was delicious, yet another reason to make the climb!
Certaldo was the home of the family of Giovanni Boccaccio, who died and was buried here in 1375. His house (of red brick, like the other old houses of the town) was restored in 1823 and fitted up with old furniture. A statue of him was erected in the principal square in 1875.
Certaldo hosts a crafts fair / flea market on Sundays. Special festivals include a song festival called Certaldo Sotto le Stelle held in early September and the Mercantia Festival in Alto during the last days of July. The Mercantia Festival is a mix of theatre, music and market, all done with a medieval flair. My friend Giuseppina is the local chef who cooks for this event for the last 8 years. She plans on having nearly 600 people for the event on July 21st this year. Tables will line the street, tourists and locals rub elbows and eat as they did hundreds of years ago...no forks, no knives, just a leg of lamb and your fingers! If you’re able to make it for the dinner event starting at 8pm, be sure to come early to walk around the medieval wall for stunning views of the Tuscan countryside the tall towers of the nearby San Gimignano.