Certaldo

The hotel is a few steps from Certaldo's center. The town's main square has the name of Giovanni Boccaccio: the writer and poet of the fourteenth century was one of modern Italian language's fathers and was born here.

 

The village of Certaldo Alto, a true jewel of middle ages architecture, conserves still today all its originary beauty, in a location of a time gone, in the stream of smooth hills and enchanted villages like San Gimignano, Gambassi Terme, Montaione, Barberino val d'Elsa.

 

 

Certaldo Alto is easily accessible from Piazza Boccaccio, on foot or by a short funicular, which gives more emotion to it! In the once House of the city governor, the Praetorian Palace, you can now visit exhibitions about art and nearby archaeological sites. The home of Giovanni Boccaccio is now a museum that preserves, as well as a large fresco of Benvenuti, objects of the fourteenth century, found during the restoration, and a Library dedicated to the life and works of the writer, with works dating back to the sixteenth century.

 

Every year, several initiatives periodically animate the village: every mid-July Mercantia takes place, a major international festival of street art and theater, which turns the old town in a real midsummer dream!

 

In October, you can delight your palate with Boccaccesca: a review of food and wine with local products and every year new fantastic proposals!

For updated information on events not to miss in Certaldo, see the Events page.

 

To know something more: certainly of etruscan-roman origins, the town has developed mainly thanks to its position along the Francigena Way, and it was contended by Florence and Siena, in particular during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Interesteng is the historic relation to the nearby Semifonte, populated sind 1181: when Semifonte became a thorn in the side of the powerful Florence Republic, it was completely destroyed in 1202, and most of its inhabitants fleed to Certaldo, where they contributed to the town development, leading to the construction of new homes on the Certaldo Alto hill, until the latter was completely constructed. In the place of Semifonte today a small beautiful chapel remains, built in 1597, which reproduces in 1:8 scale the dome of Florence Cathedral, and is placed in the current San Donnino, a few km from Certaldo, in the florentine Chiantiside.

"Certaldo is a Castle of Val d'Elsa placed in our county ... in which he used a long time to go every year one of the friars of St. Anthony’s brotherhood, whose name was Friar Cipolla, perhaps more for the name than for any other devotion gladly welcomed, as it is known that the land produces onions that are famous throughout Tuscany." So wrote John Boccaccio, in the sixth book of the "Decameron."

La Cipolla di Certaldo

Prior to Friar Cipolla is the inclusion of the onion in the emblem of the town of Certaldo, symbol and flag of an ordinary people of ancient rural traditions. Cultivated in large quantities in the surrounding land, it has the potential to be a prominent element for the country's economy. The garrison of Slow Food with the support of the Consortium Certaldo 2000, is recovering idle land to start a cooperative to increase production and marketing of the product. One specialty actually born in Certaldo is the onion marmalade, excellent with cheese and boiled meat.

Here are two recipes with ths specialty:

Onion soup

Sauté onion in olive oil without letting it burn. If it tends to darken add vegetable broth until it is cooked well. Pass through a sieve, and add the previously boiled and mashed potatoes. Stretch again with vegetable broth to form a thick cream. Set upon it Tuscan bread roasted. Add pepper and extra virgin olive oil.

Boiled remade or Frenchwoman

Make a broth with calf muscle. When the muscle is boiled, leave it cool. Meanwhile, cut the onion into slices and place it in a pan with extra virgin olive oil. Add chopped tomatoes, cut into small squares the boiled muscle, and add it. Season with salt and pepper. Cook over low heat until the meat is well mixed with the onion. Add the beef broth to keep all very soft.