Along ancient roads
Once upon a time, and now once again, there was (and is) a town
set in a valley, between Florence and the Apennines. It's a place where, in
the summer, the green of the mountain peaks brushes against the blue of
the sky, and in winter the white
of the snow gets mixed up with the low
clouds packed with flakes.
Since the Etruscan
and Roman ages, this has been a place where ancient streets and cultural exchanges allow a certain flow of merchandise, of knowledge and of flavors. It’s a place
where, over time, different arts and
professions have come to life and have gone on to grow. It’s a town that
brought Art Nouveau or the “liberty” style to the world through its ceramics made with vibrant colors,
using shapes and designs molded by very capable hands. It’s a place where, even
today, the people combine tradition and innovation, the past and the future—this
happens in a place where you can stroll along ancient streets and hidden pathways, laid out by new hands
following the traces of long-ago stories, twisting and turning through valleys and ridges.
Borgo San Lorenzo
The place we’re talking about is Borgo
San Lorenzo—for those who want to learn more about it, it offers the chance
to see, discover and touch firsthand.
Here you can stroll
along the Sieve on eco-tourism trails that weave their way through bays and
bridges; you can discover the Museum of
Villa Pecori Giraldi, diving into the story of the Chini family and of art
nouveau. The little ones can let their imaginations run wild at the Piccolo Museo dei Bambini (the Little
Museum for Children) and its visual and sensory labs. You can even travel back in time and revisit old-fashioned trades, from mill to
stone work, at the Museo
della Civiltà Contadina di Casa D'Erci (Casa d’Erci Museum of Rural Life).
Here you can meet artisans who produce unique works, created by combining modern technology with old-fashioned wisdom.
Borgo San Lorenzo offers the wealth of a history that you can still soak up from its parish churches, where you’ll find paintings by Giotto and many other painters of the Florentine schools.
Day by day, throughout the year
Ours is a town that celebrates every season with festivals and events designed to help you discover the area's delicacies and other assets: from truffles to tortelli, from livestock to sport, from music to traditions.
This is a town to be experienced day by day, discovering it through its hidden corners, museums and traditional products in numerous venues that offer both quintessentially Tuscan dishes and alternatives.
In this valley just a few kilometers from Florence – nestled between the Sieve and the Appenines – once upon a time there was, and still is… Borgo San Lorenzo.