Santa Fiora
Perfumes, sounds, freshwater and memories of an illustrious past

Guido, son of Bosio I and Cecilia, grandson of the Sforza of Milan, was born in Santa Fiora on 20 February 1445. He reigned over the County with the desire to return its former glory, transforming the Peschiera from reservoir into trout hatchery and commissioning one of the most important artist families of the time, the Della Robbia, sculptors who specialised in glazed earthenware. A valuable collection of wonderful Della Robbia pottery is preserved today in the Pieve delle Sante Flora e Lucilla. It includes a large-scale work by Andrea della Robbia in the 15th century, depicting the life of Jesus. White and blue are the dominant colours, enriched by yellow, green and sienna orange. The glaze top coat provided effective protection against wear and proved pivotal for the mountain area as its humid and cold climate meant “a painting wouldn’t last more than a few years," as Vasari put it. Worth a look are the terracotta works: the Madonna della Cintola, l’Ultima Cena, Il incoronazione della Vergine e i Santi Francesco e Girolamo, la Resurrezione and il Battesimo di Gesù, the latter around which a legend was born. It’s said that one of the grape bunches located in the side frame is missing a grape. An American soldier removed it during the Second World War.

In a chestnut, you’ll find everything you need: flavour and substance, vitamins, minerals and sugars. A good harvest was crucial, which is why you asked for divine intervention by invoking St Michael, the patron saint of crops. Each year Santa Fiora celebrated the saint’s feast day with a fire ritual to cleanse and cast out evil. The ignition of a large coal fire was a propitious sign of a good harvest. As the old saying goes "St Michael, the chestnuts are in the basket." Moreover, as Father Balducci would say, "the mountain, with its chestnuts, was our mother, she nursed us."