Capannoli, delightful territory
“From Capannoli today, passersby can indulge in a view of a delightful territory divided into many villages, located on one of the most charming Pisan hills. Here, you can enjoy the healthy air and a pleasant view of the Era plains, surrounded by a theater of hills adorned with numerous towns and villages. The population is around twelve hundred inhabitants; among these are many permanent residents and even more vacationers who come for cheerful holidays in the spring and summer. Its origin is a mystery to us, buried over the centuries, and we can only play a guessing game.”
The castle
“[…] though we can’t say with certainty, there is good reason to believe that the Capannoli hill […] could be a a place of refuge, for its opportune location, the nearby plains, the pure air, its proximity to the Era."
These excerpts come from Memorie del castello di Capannoli e delle sue chiese, by Moreno Bertini, and they show how this place has attracted the curiosity of anyone who has passed through these parts for centuries. In the mid-1800s, Luigi Bellincioni designed the park that surrounds the Villa. It is home to Neo-Gothic buildings, rustic grottos and small frescoed aediculae. Today, there are twelve monumental trees, while in the whole garden, visitors can find over 160 botanical species. There is a space dedicated to children with many games at the center of the park.
Villa Baciocchi, the pulsing heart of the local community
The Zoological Museum can be found on the ground floor of the Villa today, where visitors can admire dioramas and recreated, taxidermied animal species, as is the laboratory, which organizes exemplary exhibitions in Italy and abroad. On the first floor, there is the Center for Archaeological Documentation in Valdera, with artifacts coming from Calcinaia, Casciana Terme Lari, Lajatico, Terricciola, Palaia and Pontedera.
For those passing through the area, the recently restored underground areas are a must-see, which visitors can access from both the park and from inside the complex.A wing of Villa Baciocchi — the true center of the local community — hosts the Library, the Multimedia Room, the Immigration Help Desk, Informagiovani and the Youth Center. Various spaces inside the complex are also often chosen as the place to utter the fateful “I do.”
The Park and Villa Baciocchi are open to everyone and can be visited every day and in every season.