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Art and Religion Day Tour - Florence to Firenzuola, Tuscany

Setting off from Florence, following the Via Bolognese ( state road S.S 65 della Futa ) - an ancient route from Florence to Bologna along which have sprung up villas, castles, and some hostels for the many pilgrims and travellers who once used the route - passing by the villages of Pian di San Bartolo and Montorsoli and the wonderful, historical park of Villa Demidoff we arrive at Pratolino.

Here, we turn left onto the Bivigliano road and after about 500 metres, on the left, we can see the 14th century Pieve di San Cresci a Macioli and its Romanesque bell-tower. The facade is beautifully edged in brickwork and has a remarkable stone door with Doric decoration. The 14th century restorations were carried out by Pievano Arlotto, famous for his sense of humour.

In a panoramic position in Bivigliano, we find the ancient Romanesque church of S. Romolo which dates back to before the year 1000. An altar-piece made of enamelled terracotta by Andrea della Robbia is kept in the apse and in a niche beside the baptismal font there is a wooden statue of St. John the Baptist dating from the 15th century.

The nearby Convento di Montesenario, of the Padri Serviti, dominates the Mugello valley. The convent can be reached either following the surfaced road lined by tall pine trees or following, on foot, the old road along which Stations of the Cross have been built.

The hermitage of Montesenario is one of the most important Florentine religious sources: in this area on the 8th of September 1233, the day of Mary's Birthday, seven Florentine monks abandoned their comfortable lives, and devoting themselves to life as hermits, founded the order of The Servants of Mary. The original church was built in 1241 where the Seven Founder Saints had lived. The church and convent were expanded in 1539 by Cosimo Medici I and renovated in Baroque style in 1717 and later in 1888. The clock tower was built in 1834.

Inside the church decorated with baroque plaster work ( 18th century ) there is a collection of 16th century paintings, among which The Adoration of the Magi by Cigoli. The wooden choir rail is an interesting example of the elegant baroque forms dating from 1707. In the Chapel of the Apparition there is a polychrome terracotta Pietà by Lottini. In the 16th century refectory there is The Last Supper by Matteo Rosselli.

On request, the monks allow visits to the 14th century cloister in the old part of the convent and the large terrace built in the 16th century above a water tank with a capacity of 9000 hl from which there is a magnificent panoramic view.

At the bottom of the north face of Monte Senario we can visit two caves which were the first dwellings of the Seven Founder Saints. The cave of Saint Phillip Benizi is formed by huge boulders and there is a small stone altar at the front, built in 1629, where pilgrims came to draw the water that gives the Saint's protection. The nearby cave of Saint Alessio Falconieri, who died in 1310 at the age of 110, is a small, bare cavern, with a plaque dedicated to the Saint. From here there is a small staircase carved out of the rock which leads to an ancient hermitage, built in 1601, where some of the hermits lived.

The convent pharmacy produces and sells the well-known liqueur, Gemma d'Abete. The convent is always open.
Accommodation for pilgrims telephone: 055/406441- 406442

From Bivigliano we continue to the village of Vaglia, once a feudal holding of the Bishops of Florence who built the Pieve di San Pietro in the 8th century about a kilometre from the village. The building, which was changed completely and expanded in the 17th century contains valuable 16th century paintings, a wooden Crucifix thought to be by Giambologna and some Robbian pieces.

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