Holiday apartment in Santomato: gardens, environmental art and history

Santomato combines historic sites, landscaped gardens, environmental art and local products. In the Santomato district of Pistoia lies the Fattoria di Celle, a monumental historic villa dating from the 15th century. It houses the private Gori Collection of environmental art.

Gardens, park and environmental art

The Fattoria di Celle includes a historic garden with a flower garden and orchard, as well as a 19th-century park. This park covers 25 hectares and stretches to the foothills of the hill behind it. The flower garden and orchard are located within the historic garden, while the large park forms a separate part of the estate. The villa and park represent different historical periods: the 15th century for the villa and the 19th century for the park.

The Gori Collection comprises 80 works of environmental art. They can be experienced on a tour through the villa’s park with its large English landscape garden. The tour connects the works with the park landscape, while the villa provides the historic setting of the Fattoria.

Church history in Santomato

For Santomato, the monastery of S. Tommaso is associated with September 1146. In 1794, the seat and title of the parish were transferred from the small church of S. Maria to the larger monastery church of S. Tommaso. S. Maria is described as a small church, while S. Tommaso is described as the larger monastery church.

At the end of the 17th century, the smaller church was associated with the names SS. Nunziata alla Bure and Chiesina. A decree dated 21 November 1680 also ordered that a priest should reside permanently for pastoral care in the Oratory of SS. Annunziata alla Chiesina, which depended on S. Quirico.

Regional products and landscape

The Fattoria di Celle offers visits with tastings of its products. These include the olive oil and wine produced there. Since 2019, the entire production has been in the final conversion to organic farming.

The mountains of Parmolaio, Monte la Croce, Poggio di Valcapratica and Poggio Fuso are located around Santomato. These four mountains complement the garden and park landscape with the surrounding countryside. Their names extend Santomato’s geographical context beyond the Fattoria.

Palazzo and museums in the surrounding area

The same area is home to Palazzo Rospigliosi and the museums Museo dell'Antico Ospedale Del Ceppo, Museo Civico Pistoia and Oltre. For those interested in culture, the area around Santomato therefore offers, in addition to the Fattoria di Celle and the church sites, a palazzo and three museums.

More places for planning your trip

If you would like to extend your travel plans beyond Santomato, you can find more places under Arcigliano, Bottegone, Pontelungo, Piteccio, Cireglio, Ponte Nuovo, Piastre and Sarripoli.

To the main travel overview: Pistoia.