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Pictures of a sunday
early afternoon at Montevettolini
At the north western foot of Montalbano the borough of
Montevettolini rises, at 187 mt. above sea-level. It was
founded on the top of the hill around the 12th century.
The Medicis chose Montevettolini as their rest place for
hunting and at the end of the 16th century Ferdinando I
entrusted Gherardo Mechini and Domenico Marcacci to
build the imposing villa, today known as Borghese, at
the western end of the surrounding walls.
Ruins of the surrounding walls ando of one of the six
castle defence towers, the so-called "Torre dello
Sprone" or "Torre delle Murina" can be seen to the West
of the built-up area. The entrance to the village
consisted of the tree following gates: the so-called
"Porta del Cantone", which was incorporated into the
Medicean villa, and the "Porta del Vicino" or "del
Malvicino", later called "Porta dei Barbacci", the only
one which is still undamaged.
In the borough there were the oratory of San Francesco
to the West of the church, and that of Corpus Domini
built in Bargellini's square, which today is the seat of
the local Music Society, founded in 1863.
The thirteenth-century Town Hall still shows the
podestas' coats of arms hanging on the facade, and it
incorporates an ancient guard tower to the right. A
medieval tower was used as a church blefry as well,
which was built in the 15th century in the place of the
older one, which had been incorporated inside the
ecclesiastic building. A chapel dedicated to San
Michele, belonging to "San Giovanni Battista" and "San
Lorenzo a Vaiano" 's parish church, had risen in the
place of the church since the 12th century. It was
enlarged over the centuries, then it was raised to
parish after the wuppression of the parish of Vaiano in
1449, when it was dedicated to San Lorenzo, too.
The present aspect of the building is due to Vittorio
Anastagi's eighteenth century restructuring: the
interior contains the polychrome marble high altar by
"Bartolomeo Moisé da Seravezza", the stucco decoration
and the frescos signed by Felice Balsan in 1740. The
church contains many WORKS OF ART.
Trekking paths branch from Montevettolini, along the
ways connecting the castles of Valdinievole and
Montalbano.
The oratory of the "Madonna della Neve" (Madonna of the
Snow) rises to the East of the village. It contains the
fifteenth-century fresco showing the Madonna with Child
and Saints. Every year, in August, the "Feast of the
Madonna of the Snow" takes places here.
At Montevettolini the following typical public
happenings are worth mentioning: the "Feast of the Cake"
in April and the "Fierucola", a biological product fair,
in June. Every three years, on the Good Friday, the
famous "Processione del Gesù Morto" (Procession of Dead
Christ) takes place. It dates back to the sixteenth
century and it runs again through the Christ's passion
Cross Stations along His Way up to the Calvary with
hundreds of costume-figurants. Another procession in
costume, known as "del Ringraziamento" (of Thanksgiving)
takes place on the Tuesday after Easter.
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