Uzzano and its castles
It’s said that the origins of Uzzano date to the Lombard period, although its name suggests an earlier settlement… The medieval village overlooks the valley of the Pescia River and is visible from the whole Valdinievole, even at night, thanks to striking lighting. The town, small and very sweet, hosts an important historical and artistic heritage and has a triangular urban layout with its vertex marked by the ancient fortress and the Chiesa Arcipreturale dei Santi Jacopo e Martino.
Puccini and his villa in the hills of Uzzano
Not everybody knows that Uzzano had the honour of hosting the great composer Giacomo Puccini, who conceived and wrote the second and third act of La Bohème right here. In the spring of 1895, the maestro, already internationally famous, wrote often from Milan to his sister and brother-in-law, who lived in Pescia, asking them to help him find a quiet place to carry on writing his new work. After much research, they found Villa Orsi Bertolini, in Uzzano’s hills, in Castellaccio. Surrounded by olive trees, cypresses and a large garden was a beautiful pool where Puccini often swam. La Villa del Castellaccio turned out to be the perfect spot to continue his work, as evidenced by the two signed notes left on its wall: "Finished the 2nd act of La Bohème 07/23/1895" and "Finished the 3rd act of La Bohème 09/18/1895.
Before leaving Uzzano, Puccini also began the fourth act. Subsequently, the musician continued to visit the lands from Leonardo to Pinocchio, whose centres include the nearby Pescia and Montecatini Terme.
Uzzano 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”.
The Olive Oil Road of the Valdinievole Towns and Castles
Through a dense network of municipal and local roads, The Olive Oil Road of the Valdinievole Towns and Castles connects all of the major towns to small villages and castles. One of the most quintessentially Tuscan routes to take is through the Colli per Uzzano route, which connects the historic center of Uzzano, the small hamlet of La Costa and the Pianacci, the highest point of the hilly area. As you walk through all of these places, you can take guided tours through their downtowns or visit farms, tasting oil, local specialties in inns, tourist farms and the restaurants that dot the area.
Uzzano si estende nella Toscana “Da Leonardo a Pinocchio”, ovvero dalle colline di Vinci e del Montalbano fino alle pendici ripide di Collodi. Una terra che “è una specie di sospesa meraviglia”.