A starred villa worthy of a Pope
Villa Rospigliosi, a building that’s at once somber and majestic, stands on beautiful hilltops in the countryside surrounding Lamporecchio. A residence built by the nobleman Giulio Rospigliosi, better known as Pope Clement IX. He chose one of the most distinguished architects of the time, Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The main living room, on the ground floor, is decorated with frescoes depicting mythological figures and personifications of the zodiac. On either side are winding spiral staircases leading upstairs. In front of the facade is a vast flat garden, home to an elliptical chapel. Finally, a boundless park surrounds the villa with 29 hectares of green. Today, Villa Rospigliosi is also an important starred gourmet destination, offering its guests fine cuisine well worth discovering.
In search of art
There is no shortage of historically and artistically important buildings in the village of Lamporecchio and its surrounding hamlets. The most recent construction, from the early twentieth century, is the Pieve di Santo Stefano, a neo-Renaissance style building with numerous artworks worthy of your attention. In the town of Orbignano stands the church of Santa Maria Assunta, while in Porciano, which overlooks a fabulous landscape, is the ancient church of San Giorgio and the castle with its two towers. And the most fun thing to do is amble agenda-less through these beautiful places, walking through perfect routes in the Montalbano hills.
Pellegrino Artusi and the..."Trastullo speciale"
Artusi’s book The Science of Cooking and the Art of Fine Dining mentions a special treat, a thin and crispy wafer whose recipe was created in Lamporecchio. It’s called "brigidino": eggs, sugar, flour and aniseed, the magic ingredient that distinguishes this sweet. Its name stems from nuns devoted to Saint Brigida, who invented it around the mid-16th century. While making wafers for communion, these women let themselves be carried away and produced these rounded and crushed wafers as a sin of gluttony rather than bread to be consecrated. Brigidini are popular throughout Pistoia and soon spread beyond the borders of the province, making the village of Lamporecchio famous.
The Punto di Lamporecchio
The humble women of Lamporecchio always have things to do. In past centuries, from generation to generation, they passed on the secrets of meticulous craft activities. They made ornamental compositions with dried flowers, wove wicker and coiled strands of straw to make hats. But the tradition that stood out from the others was that of embroidery and even today, the "punto di Lamporecchio" is a famous technique used to embroider fabric.
Lamporecchio is one of the municipalities that extends into the Tuscany “From Leonardo to Pinocchio”, that is, from the hills of Vinci and Montalbano to the steep slopes of Collodi. A land that “is a sort of suspended wonder”.