Discover Meleto – History, Remembrance and Art

Meleto is an ancient village documented in records since 970 AD. Its special character lies in the combination of local history, remembrance and art: the village brings together a church with a distinctive style, historic traces, sculptures and a themed walking route.

History between the Church, Castello and Cassia

The Church of Santa Cristina in Meleto has a distinctive 17th-century style. The Castello di Barberino near Meleto consists of four watchtowers and a curtain wall. In addition, the Cassia Adrianea ran from Barberino through Meleto.

Memory Route and Places of Remembrance

The Meleto Memory Route is a walk through the village’s aie and the places where, on 4 July 1944, German soldiers, assisted by some Fascists, murdered 93 innocent men from the village. The Meleto massacre took place in four execution yards: Aia Benini, Aia Melani, Aia Pasquini and Aia Rossini.

The Meleto Memory Route offers a contemplative walk featuring works and poems by the artist Massimo Lippi from 1999. In this way, it combines engagement with the historical events and an artistic design.

The renewed public green space in front of the Circolo Sociale di Meleto is home to two different memorials: the restored monument to the victims of the First World War and a new memorial to the victims of the massacres of July 1944.

Art and Festival Traditions

The three sculptures installed in Meleto were created by the Korean Yunmi Lee, the Chinese Jiefu Zhou and the Iranian Solmaz Vilkachi. As works from the International Symposium for Monumental Sculpture “Pietra Sublime”, they were intended to form a small art park together with an existing sculpture.

Meleto was for a time the seat of the so-called “Liga de Vallis Avane” and also hosted the Società Filarmonica di Meleto. Another cultural facet is the Festa del Re Maiale: it is a medieval historical re-enactment held as part of the Feste del Perdono.

Culture enthusiasts can choose in Meleto between a contemplative walk, architecture, sculpture, music history and a historical re-enactment. A visit focusing on remembrance leads to the aie and memorials, while art enthusiasts can start with the works of Massimo Lippi and the sculptures. The Church of Santa Cristina and the Castello di Barberino complement this cultural walk with tangible buildings. The Cassia Adrianea adds a connection to a historic route.

On Site: Routes and Themes in Meleto

An accessible footpath connects the public car park below the Church of Meleto with the school administration area. This provides a direct connection between the car park, church and school administration for immediate orientation on site.

For further orientation, you will also find Montaio, Castelnuovo dei Sabbioni and Montegonzi.

For the broader travel overview: Cavriglia.