Ideas and suggestions for visiting the old town, Archaeological Museum and Villa La Ferdinanda
All your problems vanish into thin air when you arrive in Artimino on a sunny day. The views range over the hills, which resemble a “green sea” from this height. Only olive groves and vineyards can be seen all around, which produce this land’s oil that has always been beneficial for the local economy.
Artimino is the perfect destination for a day trip, halfway between Prato and Florence.
Contents
1.
Villa La Ferdinanda, UNESCO World Heritage site
2.
Etruscan relics at the Archaeological Museum
3.
San Leonardo Church
4.
Wine, oil and other flavours
Villa La Ferdinanda, UNESCO World Heritage site
The perfect location for a wedding or special occasion, Villa La Ferdinanda, in Artimino, shines like a diamond on top of a hill, at the end of a picturesque tree-lined avenue. The estate, commissioned by Grand Duke Ferdinand I de’ Medici, was one of the Medici’s favourite summer homes. The Barco Reale was created in the Montalbano hills, an area that helped to protect game for hunting purposes.
The villa’s roofs are dotted with chimneys of various sizes that make it distinguishable from a distance, hence its nickname the Villa of a Hundred Chimneys. In the kitchen and cellar, visitors can see one of the earliest prototypes of the spit roast, made according to Leonardo da Vinci’s design.
The Archaeological Museum is situated on your way into Artimino. Its symbol is a copy of a singular piece from the museum’s collection: an elegant “bucchero” censer from the Prato Rosello burial site. The Artimino and Carmignano area have been settled since Etruscan times and ancient towns have always been unearthed here. The museum is home to many Etruscan relics from excavations in Artimino, such as containers for ointments, swords, iron spears, ceremonial grave goods, etc.
San Leonardo Church
- Credit: Marta Mancini
Looking over to the horizon from Artimino, we can glimpse the San Leonardo Church in all its beauty. It is thought that this building, whose earliest documentation dates to 998, was named after San Leonardo according to the wishes of the Duchess of Tuscany Matilde di Canossa.
The Romanesque-style church is home to the Visitation, made according to the Della Robbia school, and two wooden statues (a Sant'Antonio Abate and a San Leonardo).
Here you can taste Chianti DOC and Carmignano DOCG wines, extra-virgin olive oil, Carmignano amaretti, liqueurs, honey, jams and the delicious dried figs, traditionally served with vin santo and walnuts.
