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.