Santa Maria a Monte: Museums, Views and Festivals

Santa Maria a Monte: Borgo, History and Festivals

Santa Maria a Monte offers several clear reasons to shape your stay according to your own interests. The La Rocca Archaeological Area is located at the highest point of the borgo and offers visitors a viewing terrace. If you are interested in a holiday apartment in Santa Maria a Monte, you can focus your stay on historic sites, sweeping views or cultural discoveries. The different focal points help you determine the mix you want for your trip.

Holiday Apartment in Santa Maria a Monte with Culture and Views

From the Torre dell’Orologio, the top floor offers wide-ranging views across the entire Valdarno and towards the other castle towers. This makes the site suitable for visitors who want to combine historic buildings with a sweeping panorama. A medieval cistern in the Biblioteca Comunale is already mentioned in the statutes of 1391 and is still visible there today. The view and this historic detail provide two distinct focal points within the exploration of the town.

Carducci, Archaeology and Medieval Art

The Museo Casa Carducci is housed in the building where the Carducci family lived from 1856 to 1858. The museum permanently displays Possenti’s “Il Tenero Gigante”, an exhibition of 26 paintings and drawings inspired by the life and work of the poet Giosuè Carducci. On the first floor of the Museo Civico Beata Diana Giuntini, an archaeological tour presents finds from the excavations at Sant'Ippolito in Anniano and La Rocca. Together, these museums provide access to literature, art and archaeology.

The Museo Civico displays a medieval Madonna and Child statue made of painted and gilded wood. It is kept in the Collegiata di Santa Maria a Monte and is dated to 1255. The Collegiata also preserves a wooden crucifix attributed to the Master of the Camaiore Crucifix and dating from the first quarter of the 14th century. This creates a cultural focus that combines works of art with medieval history and religious art.

Traditions and Tuscan Cuisine

The festivals also give Santa Maria a Monte its own rhythm. Beata Diana Giuntini is celebrated with the traditional Processione delle Paniere every Easter Monday. The Sagra della Patata Fritta generally takes place in the second half of August in the historic centre and on the squares of the Borgo Santa Maria a Monte. During this festival, frying in the traditional “padellone” begins every evening at around 6:00 p.m. The food stalls offer one menu featuring potatoes from Santa Maria a Monte and another menu with typical Tuscan dishes. When choosing a holiday apartment or holiday home, these occasions can help determine the focus of your stay: the procession around Easter and regional cuisine in August.

Further Places for Planning Your Trip

Further places for planning your trip: Cerretti, Riparbella, Ponte a Egola, Pomarance, Garetto Basso, Le Colombaie, Usigliano and Boschi.

To the higher-level travel overview: Pisa.