• Fabbriche di Toscana - Impruneta
 Land of Terracotta. The Impruneta Terracotta >> The Route
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   The Route
1 - The information point
2 - The Buondelmonti Square
3 - Villa Carrega Pallò
4 - The primary school
5 - Carbone Massimo
6 - Cotto R.E.F.
7 - M.I.T.A.L.***
8 - Mariani Mario
9 - Corsiani Alessandro
10 - Ricceri Giuliano
11 - Vanni Luca
12 - Fornace Agresti
13 - F.lli Masini***
14 - Fornace Pesci
15 - Ricceri Sergio
16 - Villa Le Sodera
17 - Cotto Chiti
17 bis - Il Sole Terrecotte
18 - Sannini Impruneta
19 - Clay Quarry
20 - Colonial House "La Casina"
21a - Impruneta S.r.l.
21b - Fornace Impruneta
22 - Pesci Giorgio e Figli
23 - Poggi Ugo***
24 - Colonial House "L'apparita"
25 - Tabernacle Via di Quintole
26 - The church of San Miniato
27 - Colonial House
28 - Colonial House
29 - Niche Via di S. Isidoro
30 - Villa Corsini
The Route   
Interactive map

The itinerary of cotto

The itinerary is divided in two sections: the first one –to be covered preferably on foot- is in the centre of the town, in particular in “the brickworks neighbourhood” one of the most striking places in Impruneta.

The second section –preferably by car- will enable the visitor to discover all the different typologies of the cotto objects in the territory, along the ancient ways, in the gardens of the villas, in the farmyards and around the colonial houses.

The first section of the itinerary, organised in a circular way, starts from the Buondelmonti Square, in the centre of the town, where many cotto objects made in the brickworks in Impruneta can be admired. From the town centre, the itinerary heads towards the brickworks neighbourhood, where brickworks are still active. They are usually run by a family and they still maintain the traditional way of manufacturing such as the one called “a colombino”.

The natural site of the Interest Point will be in the historical brickworks Agresti in the very centre of the brickworks neighbourhood. Its function is to collect and to highlight all the proof and the evidence of the historic heritage including objects and instruments.

As regards the second section, the itinerary will run from the centre of the town to its outskirts, and so arriving at some production centres that are far away from the town. These centres have an industrial production and therefore produce a vast range of products, from the traditional to the avant-guarde ones. Some of those factories still retain machines that can be considered pieces of industrial archaeology (i.e. machines made in the XIX century for the automation of some production phases). These factories are situated south of Impruneta, between Ferrone and Falciani. In this area there is also a clay quarry, which is still in use and is visible from the street. This quarry, which is included in the itinerary, will enable the visitor to observe the raw material (the clay), necessary for the production process. Following this itinerary we can easily see the gardens of the villas which are decorated with orci(pitchers), vases and statues which are placed both inside the villas and on the surrounding walls. This is an ornamental tradition which is characteristic of both Impruneta and Florence, where usually protective walls and the facades of the villas are decorated with vases placed on top of the roof as well as on the sides of it.

As far as the tabernacles are concerned and more generally speaking the use of terracotta for devotional purposes, the Church of San Miniato a Quintole (where the cotto elements are above the entrance door and on the side of the arches of the portico) and the tabernacle of Sant’Isidoro, a model of bas-relief made in cotto in the XVIII century, deserve to be mentioned.

Knowledgeable of these elements the visitor, will understand the way in which cotto in Impruneta has been used in the past and is still widely used in our present days as a material both for sacred and profane purposes. Above all the visitor will come to know how cotto as brick has always been used both as a decorative and a structural material.
In our studies we have highlighted another aspect, which is the use of cotto in the old colonial houses in order to witness the use of this material in the building of said houses.
The typical uses of terracotta in the rural building trade are: the brick floor in the farmyards, the load-bearing pillars in the loggias and in the porticos, the grating in the haylofts, the antique cabin kiln and roof tiles.

Three of the colonial houses have been included in this itinerary for the characteristic quality of their structures and for the use of terracotta.

The map of the products of Impruneta cotto in Florence has been included in order to highlight the main examples of the manufacts that have witnessed the close relationship between Florence and Impruneta over the centuries. This map can be considered as a vademecum which enables the Florentine visitor to capture immediately the signs of Impruneta’s rich production.
1 - The information point
Locality: IMPRUNETA
Address: PIAZZA GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI
Cap:50023
Phone: 055-2313729
Fax: 055-2313729
Email: proimpruneta@rtd.it
Web site: http://www.proimpruneta.rtd.it
Parking Place: in the Buondelmonti Square or in the Accursio Square, which is nearby.

Timetable:
Spring/Summer tue. thu. fri. sat. 10.00/13.00 - 15.00/18.00;
wed. sun. 10.00/13.00 mon. closed

Autumn/Winter wed. thu. sun. 10.00/13.00; fri. 15.00/18.00;
sat. 10.00/13.00 - 15.00/18.00; mon. e tue. closed


The starting point can be considered the tourist information point in the Barazzina Park in the Garibaldi Square or the Visitors Centre - when it becomes a reality – where the visitor will be able to find precise information about the itinerary, special events and the opening times.
Aree tematiche correlate: Information
2 - The Buondelmonti Square
The square is almost a display window set for the Impruneta cotto. In fact, we can observe some “urban furnishing”, which come from the brickworks of this territory: under the portico of the Town Hall there are some benches, under the Loggiati del Pellegrino and in the main square there are vases, large pitchers, that have been donated by some of the manufacturers, statues and decorative elements.

The cloisters in the basilica have a great collection of local handmade products; among these, found in the higher loggiato of the great cloister, there are two pitchers “a beccaccia” and another pitcher of notable dimensions. The latter pitcher is of recent production and is decorated with putti, swags and with the coats of arms of both the Medici and the Buondelmonti families.

In the church the two small temples are particularly precious and they were made by Michelozzo, enriched with statues and refined decorations made of polychrome terracotta by Luca della Robbia.

In the museum of Sacred Art there are some antique soppani, flat cotto tiles that were used in the inside ceiling of a room, which are decorated with various ornamental motives.
In the museum old terracotta plaques with the image of the Virgin of Impruneta are displayed.
Aree tematiche correlate: Villas and Monument
3 - Villa Carrega Pallò
Address: Via Roma

The park of the villa is decorated with vases in a Renaissance style and many of the pitchers were made in the XVIII century.
Aree tematiche correlate: Villas and Monument
4 - The primary school
Address: Piazza Garibaldi

In the higher part of the posterior facade there are some statues made in the 30s which represent the professions.
Aree tematiche correlate: Villas and Monument
5 - Carbone Massimo
Locality: Impruneta
Address: Via di Cappello, 45
CAP: 50023
Phone: 055-2313396
Fax: 055-2313396
Email: info@mcterrecotte.it
Web site: http://www.mcterrecotte.it

This furnace follows the ancient traditional techniques.
This furnace produces artistic objects and traditional handmade materials for the decoreation of houses, villas and gardens (basins, vases, pitchers, flower boxes, figures and statues of various dimension).

The brickwork also produces objects on commission.

Aree tematiche correlate: Terracotta Furnaces, Orcio pot, Conca vase, Vase, Objects, Handmade, Direct sale, Craftsman
6 - Cotto R.E.F.
Locality: Impruneta
Address: Via di Cappello 26
CAP: 50023
Phone: 055-2011013
Fax: 055-2313210
Email: info@cottoref.it
Web site: www.cottoref.it

This furnace was established in 1660. In the beginning it specialised in the production of flat roof tiles and later it began the production of ornamental terracotta such as pitchers and statues.

The furnace is a traditional one with an external arcade and an ample courtyard from which, by using a staircase one can reach the first floor of the brickworks where the manufacturing area and the loading zone of the kilns are found. On the second floor we find the archive of plaster casts and the drying process area. Still today the production of this factory is traditional with its handmade artistic terracotta but, at the same time, it is an almost industrial, especially for its cladding.

There is an important collection of cotto materials, displayed in the inside garden, which witnesses the history and the development of the cotto casts. In this collection there are some statues, created for different buyers, and among them there is one for the Olympic games of 1936 in Berlin. There are almost 3000 plaster casts made in the 40’s which can still be produced.

The REF still preserves different typologies of kilns: from the most ancient wood-burning ones to the modern methane ones. One of the most ancient kilns has been restored and now it is in perfect condition.
Aree tematiche correlate: Terracotta Furnaces, Orcio pot, Conca vase, Vase, Objects, Statues, Pavement, Handmade, Direct sale, Factory
7 - M.I.T.A.L.***
Locality: Impruneta
Address: Via di Cappello 31
CAP: 50023
Phone: 055-2011414
Fax: 055-2011414
Email: info@terrecottemital.it
Web site: www.terrecottemital.it

The founder of this family was Anselmo Mariani who owned a brickworks in Ferrone at the end of the XIX century. The MITAL (manifattura Imprunetana Terrecotte Artistiche e Laterizi) was established in 1967 by his son Angiolo who devoted his professional life to artistic handmade terracotta, aside from the usual production of materials for the building industry. This furnace produces artistic objects and traditional handmade materials for the construction of houses and villas and for their external decoration (basins, vases, pitchers, flower boxes) figures and statues of various dimension.

It is an artisan production: the pieces are hand-made, the drying process is natural and the kiln process is in two phases: the first one uses wood and the second combustible oil.

The work area and the loading area of the kiln can be reached directly on the ground floor. In the courtyard in front of the brickworks many products and materials are displayed both old and new. The MITAL still preserves some pieces of great historic value; among them an oil jug and statues from different periods.

Notes:
The furnace joins the Association of Historical and Artistic Furnaces of Impruneta.
Logo
Aree tematiche correlate: Terracotta Furnaces, Orcio pot, Conca vase, Vase, Objects, Statues, Pavement, Handmade, Direct sale, Craftsman
8 - Mariani Mario
Locality: Impruneta
Address: Via di Cappello 29
CAP: 50023
Phone: 055-2011950
Fax: 055-2011137

This is a furnace which follows the tradition of an ancient family of kiln owners of Impruneta. The production is an artisan one both for the working techniques and for the drying process. The production of basins, pitchers and bricks strictly follows the traditional rules.

The architectural structure of the brickworks is the one that better preserves the typical plan of the Impruneta furnaces. The ample courtyard, the additional arcade from which there is access to the working area and the loading area of the kiln is on the upper floor. The opening of the kiln is on the ground floor.
The clay storage is at the back on the side of the hill.
Outside there are antique pitchers and basins.

To celebrate the final phase of the baking process, the owner usually organises a dinner with all friends. The dinner, held in the brickworks, offers typical products and food, such as the “peposo alla fornacina”. More than once this special occasion has been filmed for tv.

Aree tematiche correlate: Terracotta Furnaces, Orcio pot, Conca vase, Pavement, Handmade, Direct sale, Craftsman
9 - Corsiani Alessandro
Locality: Impruneta
Address: Via Europa 10-12
Phone: 055-2010000
CAP: 50023
Fax: 055-2012224
Email: corsiani@virgilio.it
Web site: www.terrecottecorsiani.it

This furnace was established recently in 2003. It is an artisan production: pavements, vases, decorative objects both for interior and exterior use for which he has many plaster casts.
The building is brand new and the kilns are of the most recent technologies.
Aree tematiche correlate: Terracotta Furnaces, Orcio pot, Conca vase, Vase, Objects, Pavement, Handmade, Direct sale, Craftsman
10 - Ricceri Giuliano
Locality: Impruneta
Address: Via Europa 12
CAP: 50023
Phone: 055-2011365
Fax: 055-2011365
Email: info@ceramichericceri.com
Web site: www.riccericeramica.com


This furnace mainly produces earthenware and hand painted majolica rather than cotto. The products are moulded by hand and by means of a lathe and then hand painted.
Aree tematiche correlate: Terracotta Furnaces, Vase, Objects, Statues, Majolica, Handmade, Direct sale, Craftsman
11 - Vanni Luca
Locality: Impruneta
Address: vicolo della Barazzina 7
CAP: 50023
Phone: 055-2312247
Email: vanni.cotto@libero.it
Web site: www.shop.rtd.it/vanni/

The founder of this furnace was Antonio Vanni at the end of the XIX century. Nowadays this brickworks, run by Luca Vanni maintains the bas-relief production depicting the traditional life in the town. Of these products the panels depicting the seasonal activities in Impruneta and the monuments of Florence stand out.
Aree tematiche correlate: Terracotta Furnaces, Vase, Objects, Statues, Handmade, Direct sale, Craftsman
12 - Fornace Agresti
Address: Via delle Fornaci

The building, now abandoned, is at the foot of the town, and it retains the old architectural disposition.

The building is of great historic and architectural value. Moreover, it is important for having preserved casts and instruments of the antique Manifattura Agresti. The building is placed halfway up a clay hill and it is made of brick and stone with a loggia in its facade.

The interior is divided on different superimposed levels: in the centre there are two wood-burning kilns, lower down there is the wood (faggots) storage, which is near the clay storage. In nice weather, all the work was done in the farmyard and under the wide loggia, instead in the winter in the rooms near the kilns.

The brickworks dates back to the beginning of the XVIII century, when the Agresti, one of the most ancient kiln owning families, transferred their activity here after the consumption of the quarry in Via della Croce.

Nowadays the brickworks, owned by the County Town, is under restoration. It seems to be the ideal location for the Interest Centre of the cotto itinerary.
Aree tematiche correlate: Landscape
13 - F.lli Masini***
Locality: Impruneta
Address: Via delle Fornaci 57-59
CAP: 50023
Phone: 055-2011683
Fax: 055-2313211
Email: fornace.masini@dada.it
Web site: www.fornacemasini.it

In 1939 the Masini family acquired one of the most ancient Vanni furnaces (1681) in Impruneta. The structure of this furnace is one of the most ancient: it still retains the typical characters of the Impruneta brickworks, both with its farmyard where many pieces of its production are displayed and with the loggiato from which there is access to the working area. In the building two kilns, which were in use at the end of the XVIII century, and XVIII-century plaster casts owned by the Agresti and still in use today are preserved. In some places of the brickworks the dates of the various restoration works are engraved on the brick of the vaults.

The production, which is still entirely an artisan one, makes use of modern kilns and makes pitchers, basins, vases and other pieces for garden decoration.

Notes:
The furnace joins the Association of Historical and Artistic Furnaces of Impruneta.
Logo
Aree tematiche correlate: Terracotta Furnaces, Orcio pot, Conca vase, Vasi, Vase, Objects, Statues, Handmade, Direct sale, Craftsman
14 - Fornace Pesci
Locality: Impruneta
Address: Via delle Fornaci 26 A
CAP: 50023
Phone: 055-2012066
Fax: 055-2011488
Email: info@fornacepesci.it
Web site: www.fornacepesci.it

The production of this factory, established in 1976, goes from the hand made objects, that maintain all the characteristics of the ancient artisan production, to objects that are industrially made. This furnace is famous for the peculiar colour of cotto, which is very soft and almost rose-coloured (the Pesci pink).

The structure, divided in two sections on two sides of the street also preserves an ancient brickworks, and adjoining it there is the modern structure with kilns and forefront technologies. This factory also produces hand-made objects and bas-reliefs, the latter depicting traditional life in the town. Among the products of excellence there are some bricks on which the seasonal activities of Impruneta and the monuments of Florence are depicted.

No direct sales.
Aree tematiche correlate: Terracotta Furnaces, Orcio pot, Conca vase, Vase, Objects, Pavement, Handmade, Factory
15 - Ricceri Sergio
Locality: Impruneta
Address: Via Fabbiolle 12
CAP: 50023
Phone: 055-2313790
Fax: 055-2313790
Email: terrecottericceri@hotmail.com

This furnace was established in 1956 and is specialised in the reproduction of antique ceramics such as buccheros, Greek and Roman models, hand made and painted majolica and meridians, along with the traditional production of cotto objects. It also produces fountains both for internal use and for terraces, cotto painted with special pigments so that it seems antique and the craquelé materials.

The structure of this brickworks is a peculiar one and it is found on only one floor.
Aree tematiche correlate: Terracotta Furnaces, Orcio pot, Conca vase, Vase, Objects, Statues, Majolica, Handmade, Direct sale, Craftsman
16 - Villa Le Sodera
Address: Via delle Sodera

This villa has many cotto home made decorations on its protective wall. Two terracotta vases, almost one metre high, are at the corners of the protective wall. They were executed between the end of the XVIII century and the beginning of the XIX century, clearly following the XVI- century production. The vases have ornamental motives inspired by Callot and Stefano della Bella. The eagles, placed on the pillars at the entrance, are of exquisite workmanship. Aside from the “brickworks neighbourhood” the itinerary includes some visits to other production factories.
Aree tematiche correlate: Villas and Monument
17 - Cotto Chiti
Locality: Ferrone
Address: Via Provinciale Chiantigiana 169 Località Ferrone
CAP: 50023
Phone: 055-207030
Fax: 055-2072763
Email: info@cottochiti.com
Web site: www.cottochiti.com

Established in 1980, this furnace maintains the artisan production although in a partially industrial way. Its production is mainly devoted to cladding, paving and laying, along with a production of vases and objects for gardens.
Aree tematiche correlate: Terracotta Furnaces, Orcio pot, Conca vase, Vase, Objects, Statues, Pavement, Handmade, Direct sale, Factory
17 bis - Il Sole Terrecotte
Locality: Ferrone
Address: Via Provinciale Chiantigiana 169 Località Ferrone
CAP: 50023
Phone: 055-207125
Fax: 055-2072700
Cell: 345-4660154
Email: info@ilsoleterrecotte.com
Web site: www.ilsoleterrecotte.com

This furnace follows the ancient traditional techniques.
This furnace produces handmade objects for the decoration of houses, villas and gardens (basins, vases, pitchers and statues of various dimension).
Aree tematiche correlate: Terracotta Furnaces, Orcio pot, Conca vase, Vase, Objects, Statues, Direct sale, Craftsman
18 - Sannini Impruneta
Locality: Ferrone
address: Via Provinciale Chiantigiana 135-137
CAP: 50023
Phone: 055-207076
Fax: 055-207021
Email: info@sannini.it
Web site: www.sannini.it

It was established in 1910. At the beginning of the XX century, Carlo Sannini Baldassarri, notwithstanding the fact that he possessed only one of those small kilns used on estates, became one of the most important producers of cotto, taking from overseas new machines. In 1910 he founded the “Stabilimento Meccanico per la produzione di laterizi” (Mechanical Works for the Production of Brick), the first industrial factory for the manufacturing of cotto, dedicating himself to developing the quality of cotto. From 1950 he developed an important co-operation with the world of contemporary architecture. Still today this factory promotes research on new ways of employing cotto in order to provide designers with innovative uses for this material. Many of the best-known exponents of contemporary architecture (such as Mario Botta and Claudio Nardi and many others) co-operate with this factory. On Sannini’s web site we can find some contemporary architectural projects made with their materials. Aside from the hand made cotto, highly innovative products are made such as curtain walls as well as new materials for cladding in which clay is melted with special resins and natural quartzes.

In the factory some machines built at the beginning of the XX century are preserved, which can be considered industrial archaeological “findings”. Near the factory there is a clay quarry.

No direct sales.
Aree tematiche correlate: Terracotta Furnaces, Orcio pot, Conca vase, Vase, Objects, Statues, Pavement, Handmade, Factory
19 - Clay Quarry
Address: Via Provinciale Chiantigiana

On the right side of the street a clay quarry owned by Sannini Impruneta Spa can be observed. It is a sedimentary clay of marine origin, characterised by a particular mineralogical composition, rich in carbonates, which offer structural and aesthetic characteristics such as low absorption, high mechanical resistance, resistance to atmospherical, chemical and physical agents, inalterability with the passing of time. The clay (originally grey) contains a significant percentage of iron oxide (about 5%), which confers, at the end of the baking process, the typical red colour of the Impruneta cotto.
Aree tematiche correlate: Landscape
20 - Colonial House "La Casina"
Address: Via Provinciale Chiantigiana

This is a classic model of a Tuscan colonial house to be used by a sharecropping family.
It is a tree-storey building and has a loggiato on the ground floor. The building is made of stone and terracotta bricks, are used, in particular, for the arched lintel of the loggiato.
Aree tematiche correlate: Villas and Monument
21a - Impruneta S.r.l.
Locality: Falciani
Address: Via Provinciale Chiantigiana 67
CAP: 50023
Phone: 055-2326065/4
Fax: 055-2326069
Email: info@cottoimpruneta.it
Web site: http://www.cottoimpruneta.it

The factory produces cotto for decoration, internal and external cladding and facades.

No direct sales.
Aree tematiche correlate: Terracotta Furnaces, Orcio pot, Conca vase, Vase, Pavement, Handmade, Factory
21b - Fornace Impruneta
Locality: Falciani
Address: Via Provinciale Chiantigiana 63
CAP: 50023
Phone: 055-2326307
Email: info@fornaceimpruneta.it
Web site: www.fornaceimpruneta.it

The factory produces, in an artisan way, terracotta objects which are entirely hand made.
Aree tematiche correlate: Terracotta Furnaces, Orcio pot, Conca vase, Vase, Objects, Statues, Pavement, Handmade, Direct sale, Craftsman
22 - Pesci Giorgio e Figli
Locality: Falciani
Address: Via Provinciale Chiantigiana 36
CAP: 50023
Telefono: 055-2326285
Fax: 055-2326607
Email: info@terrecottepescigiorgio.com
Web site: www.terrecottepescigiorgio.com

The production, still entirely artisan, concentrates on statues. In the furnace there is a collection of objects, displayed in the farmyard, and a plaster casts archive.
Aree tematiche correlate: Orcio pot, Conca vase, Vase, Objects, Statues, Pavement, Handmade, Direct sale, Craftsman
23 - Poggi Ugo***
Locality: Impruneta
Address: Via Imprunetana 16
CAP: 50023
Telefono: 055-2011077
Fax: 055-2313852
Email: info@poggiugo.it
Web site: www.poggiugo.it

It is one of the most ancient furnaces in this area, founded at the end of the XVI century, restored by the Poggi family in 1919.
The structure of the building is a typical one, with an ample farmyard and the loggiato from which there is access to the production area.
At the back there is the clay quarry.

The factory stands out for its artisan and traditional production, as well as “robbiani” products in polychrome and monochrome enamels. Also the production is worth mentioning for its “patine a freddo”, thin stratified layers that covers the vases.
The production of contemporary internal design objects needs recognition.

In 2003 this brickworks has acquired the kiln previously owned by Lorenzo Andrei, which used to produce typical objects of the Impruneta handicraft.

Notes:
The furnace joins the Association of Historical and Artistic Furnaces of Impruneta.
Logo
Aree tematiche correlate: Terracotta Furnaces, Orcio pot, Conca vase, Vase, Objects, Statues, Pavement, Handmade, Direct sale, Craftsman
24 - Colonial House "L'apparita"
Address: via Imprunetana per Pozzolatico

This complex includes two buildings: the colonial house and the mews. As the majority of the Impruneta colonial houses it was built with stone and bricks. As far as the use of cotto is concerned, it is worth noticing the roof tiles and the bricks “a vista” in the facade.
Aree tematiche correlate: Villas and Monument
25 - Tabernacle Via di Quintole
Address: via di Quintole per le Rose, Ravanella

This XVII-XVIII century tabernacle is linked to the protective wall by two side volutes made of masonry. Their profile is wide and easy. Two massive piers, which rest on a moulded shelf, are linked by an architrave that is surmounted by a pediment with an arch. This architectural structure frames the niche which includes a terracotta. The latter reproduces an aedicule with the Virgin and child and externally at its side the Saints Peter and Paul.
Aree tematiche correlate: Tabernacles
26 - The church of San Miniato
Address: Via di Quintole per Le Rose

This XIV century church is typical for its use of cotto as an architectural and decorative element, such as the external trimmings of the arches and of the pillars in the portico and the cotto lunette above the door.
The church has an architectural style which is both elegant and, at the same time, severe; its plan is a Latin Cross and its portico has three wide arcades.

Inside, in one of the chapels, there are Medieval and Renaissance remains: a Virgin with Child and other fragments from frescoes of the Florentine school at the beginning of the XIV century; in the apse the Virgin with four saints, a wooden board painted by Bicci di Lorenzo at the beginning of the XV century.

Aree tematiche correlate: Curches
27 - Colonial House
Address: Via di Quintole per Le Rose, Loc. Baruffi

This is another example of the use of terracotta bricks in colonial houses. The house is made of brick and stone. The chimney is made of huge roof tiles.
Aree tematiche correlate: Villas and Monument
28 - Colonial House
Address: Via di Quintole per Le Rose, Loc. Baruffi

This colonial house stands out because it is almost entirely built of brick. From the street we can easily see the loggiato with the granary. The particular use of the bricks is worth noting because in the higher floor they are arranged in such a way as to allow air to flow.
Aree tematiche correlate: Villas and Monument
29 - Niche Via di S. Isidoro
Address: via San Isidoro at the crossing with Via Impruneta per Pozzolatico

This XVIII-century niche is in the wall of a house. Inside we can see an outstanding terracotta work with polychrome traces. The single high-relief images constitute a scene divided in two parts: high above on a cloud, there is the Virgin with child inserted in an intertwined crown that is surrounded by cherubs; below the saints Isidoro Agricola and Carlo Borromeo are placed at each side of a tree, which symbolises life and agriculture.
Aree tematiche correlate: Tabernacles
30 - Villa Corsini
Villa Corsini Visits only by a appointment (tel. 055 208078)

Address: Via Imprunetana per Pozzolatico
Web site: http://www.villacorsini.com/

This villa is an outstanding example of a XVI century villa its rectangular meadow supported by the massive walls. There are two walled gardens: the southern one that is spectacular and the smaller eastern one. Around 1420 Lorenzo il Magnifico bought this villa and then on April 15th 1483 he sold it. Almost a century after, Francesco Panciatichi had the villa almost entirely rebuilt to give its outside a magnificent appearance. This is a summer residence adorned with loggias, courtyards with columns and ample halls on the ground floor for parties and banquettes.

The white exterior is typically Tuscan in its severity, the meadow and the secret gardens are decorated with statues and XVII, XVIII–century terracotta vases. Some frescoes are worth mentioning: in the “Eastern Gallery” the decorations are by Pandolfo Sacchi (1631) in which “Time” is usually ascribed to Passignano, the ceiling with “The election of Ganymede” is by Francesco Albani and the one with “The expulsion of Hebe” is by Giovanni da San Giovanni, both surrounded by trompe l’oeil by Angelo Michele Colonna (1633).

The park is decorated with cotto objects, such as statues, puttos, animals and trophies made between the XVII and XVIII centuries.
Aree tematiche correlate: Villas and Monument