History | San Casciano Val di Pesa | Terre degli Uffizi

The cultural heart of San Casciano comprises the municipal library, the Teatro Niccolini and the Museo Giuliano Ghelli, which includes the church of Santa Maria del Gesù known as “del Suffragio”. This church was once part of a convent of Benedictine nuns founded in the 17th century by Francesco Paolsanti Lucardesi, an eminent local man who was an official at the Medici court.

Another important site in San Casciano is the Franciscan Convento della Croce, which currently houses a community of Poor Clares. Alongside it stands a 20th century construction known as the Torre del Chianti, which was originally designed as a water tower but which has recently been converted into a panoramic terrace and viewing platform.

The museum hosts a number of outstanding works of art, such as Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s Madonna and Child or Coppo di Marcovaldo’s St. Michael the Archangel, while the surrounding area is dotted with Etruscan and Roman archaeological sites – the Tomb of the Archer was where the monumental stele of the same name was unearthed – along with important churches and historic villas such as Poggio Torselli or the Albergaccio, where Niccolò Machiavelli wrote “The Prince” while in exile in 1513.

Photos by Lorenzo Matteoli