Barberino Val d'Elsa
A winding hilly road, once the ancient Via Cassia and now State road n° 2, leads up to the town of Barberino Val d'Elsa, situated high up above the valley from which it takes its name and halfway between Florence and Siena, on the north-western borders of the Chianti area.
Looking at the fortified town walls surrounding the medieval heart of the town, we can easily imagine what the pilgrims or merchants would have found before them about six centuries ago when they arrived here on horseback or by mule on their way to Rome.
In Piazza Barberi we can find Palazzo Pretorio, decorated with the noble coats of arms of the Podestas or Magistrates and the apse of the Church of San Bartolomeo. Inside the church we can admire a fragment of an Annunciation by the school of Giotto (14th-15th century) and a bust in bronze by Pietro Tacca.
From the square, a long street - Via Francesco da Barberino - leads from the right down to the 14th century Porta Senese (Sienese Gate), and, from the left, towards the Ospedale dei Pellegrini (Pilgrims' Hospice) dating from 1365. Further down the hill and outside the walls, we can find the Town Hall with its Council Chamber frescoed by artist Marco Borgianni with elements recalling the landscape, history and culture of the town and its district.
Our exploration of the suggestive past and art of this area continues outside the town walls and gates. The entire district is in fact rich in tiny villages, parish churches and castles scattered here and there in the midst of the Tuscan countryside. Don't miss the very old Parish Church of Sant'Appiano, in stone (11th century) and brick (12th century), whose attached Antiquarium Museum contains various Etruscan finds and ceramics that come from the many necropoli in the area; the village of Linari, the romantic Castle of Poppiano at Vico d'Elsa and Petrognano.
The Chapel of San Michele Arcangelo is particularly interesting. Built in 1597 by Santi di Tito, it is a perfect 1:8 scale reproduction of the Cupola or Dome of the Cathedral of Florence. It was constructed on the site of the ancient city of Semifonte, completely razed to the ground by the Florentines in 1202. A most important factor in this area is the great care taken to ensure the quality of the environment.
