Category Archives: place to see

Museum of Holy Arts in Peccioli

The Museum of Holy Arts in Peccioli was inaugurated on 25th October 2009. It is held into the romanesque church dedicated to Saint Verano, inside Assunta’s chapel which dates back to 1580, now in restore. You can admire the most significant artworks by tuscan artists such as a painting of the Virgin Mary with her child made by Enrico di Tedice during the 12th century.

Into the museum there are some ancient crosses and other artworks by Giovanni Pisano, Bicci and Giovanni Bilivert.
There is also an important painting that shows Saint Peter donated to the museum by Rosanna Merlini.

Numerous sweeping artworks like a chalice from 15y century.

Free entry

Opening time:

Saturday 10.00 – 13.00

Sunday15.00 – 18.00

Contacts:

Museo d’Arte Sacra
Addess: Piazza Fra’ Domenico da Peccioli, presso la Pieve di San Verano 56037 Peccioli (Pi)
Tel. 0587 672158
Email: info@fondarte.peccioli.net

Archeological Museum in Peccioli

Archeological Museum in Peccioli has been inaugurated in 2004. Its purpose is a correct preservation of the numerous artifacts found in the archeological site in Ortaglia.
Its main finding is a kylix in red, by the famous Greek painter Makron.

Since 2007 the museum is held in a new location, composed of a series of tunnels. In recent times other findings such as funeral outifts and materials related to nightcults have been added.
In the main room there is a big artwork which shows a Tuscanic temple, according to Vitruvio’s rules.
It has given big importance to technology: in fact there are a lot of multimedial supports around the museum to help students and new generations. They allow to answer questions by touch-screen and there is a 3D movie

The reperts found in the Nort area of Volterra allow to give more and more importance to the museum and to think of new possibilities about Etruscan’s history in their dark period.

Contacts: Museo Archeologico
Address: Via del Carmine, 33 56037 Peccioli (PI)
Tel: 0587672158
Email: info@fondarte.peccioli.net

Opening time

In winter:

Wednesday from 15:00 to 19:00
Saturday, Sunday and feast days from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 15:00 to 19:00

In summer:

Wednesday from 15:00 to 19:00
Saturday, Sunday and feast days from 10:00 to 13:00and from 16:00 to20:00

Museo della Pieve

Museum della Pieve of Bientina was opened in 1993, includes a large quantity of holy vessels made of noble metal and dating back to the period between the 16th and the 19th century.

Candle holders

The Museum encloses works of art of great value that are part of the treasure of the church of S. Maria Assunta and of S. Valentine. Most of the treasure is composed of candle holders, goblets, incense burners, monstrances, reliquaries, trays and lamps produced by the most famous silversmiths of the Lucca, Pisa and Florentine schools of the 17th and 18th century.Most of these holy vessels were donated to the Church after the arrival in Bientina of S. Valentine’s reliquaries.

The museum offers a valuable display of vestments that can be dated back to the period between the end of the 16th and the end of the 18th century. Highly valuable and of fine workmanship, these vestments are of considerable artistic and historical interest.

Museum della Pieve
Adress: Borgo della Pieve, Bientina
Tel: 0587758445
Email: valderamusei@unione.valdera.pi.it

Opening Time: by reservation only

Free entrance

Museum of the Ancient History of the Territory of Bientina

The Museum is located in the small church of Saint Jerome,it’s a deconsecrated church. It’s documented the ancient history of the territory of Bientina, It conserve and show the Etruscan evidence.

Etruscan evidence

The excavations and the recovery works have brought to light numerous findings of considerable historical interest, such as Etruscan amphoras, Bucchero ceramics and ceramics painted red, elements of necklaces and earrings. A part of these items were part of the funeral dowry of a grave found during the excavation work.

Inauguration

The museum was opened in november 1999 and it was dedicated to Vittorio Bernardi , he were a promoter of the excavations of the Bientina marshs.

Entrance

Museum of the Ancient History of the Territory of Bientina
Address: Vicolo Masaccio, Bientina
Tel: +39 0587758445
Email: valderamusei@unione.valdera.pi.it
Opening Time: All sunday from 10.00 to 12.00
Closed all august

Free entrance

Museum of Wood

The Museum of Wood is located inside of Mostra del Mobilio,It’s possible to admire the ancient machines and the work tools of the artigians.

Tools

In the Museum of the old carpenter’s workshop has been recreated by exhibiting the most common work tools: the hammer, the saw, the plane, the gouge, the copper pot to heat glue in and the wood used by the artisan to build furniture such “la Pancina” and “la Ponsacchina” which were extremely successful on the Italian market.

Entrance

Museum of Wood
Adress: c/o Mostra del Mobilio, Piazza della Mostra 4, Ponsacco
Tel: 0587731102
Email: info@mostramobilio.it

Opening time: The museum and mostra are open all the year
From monday to friday, from 9.00 to 12.30 and from 15.00 to 19.30
Saturday, sunday from 9.00 to 12.30 from 15.00 to 20.00

Free entrance

Certosa in Calci

The structure, founded in 1366, houses nowadays two museums

Certosa in Calci, founded in 1366 in the middle of Val Graziosa, is one of the biggest Carthusian monasterys and one of the most important.
The location allowed the isolation from the rest of the world imposed by the Rule of the Carthusian order, founded by San Bruno in 1084.

The complex has been extended between the XVII and the XVIII century, so nowadays it is a wonderful landmark in baroque-style.
Originally called “dark”, Calci’s valley has been renamed as «Val Graziosa» (graceful valley) after rthe complex’s foundation. In 1972 Certosa, abandoned by the few remained monks, beacame a National Museum, whereas in 1979 the West part of the building was given freely to Pisa’s University, which founded the Museum of Natural Sciences.

So nowadays Certosa houses two separated museums: Museo Nazionale della Certosa Monumentale di Calci and Museo di Storia Naturale dell’Università di Pisa. The museums were born in different ages, belong to different institutions and have different purposes. Nevertheless their collections are linked by the building’s history.

Certosa’s museums

Museo Nazionale‘s visit is a suggestive trip into the Carthusian monks’ world, with the lonely life they led. Places that still nowadays astonish for their beauty and splendor. Some of them are its gardens, churches, chapels, cloisters and the refectory. In the separated building carthhusians used to produce and sell medicines and medicinal herbs.

Certosa’s refectory

Museo di Storia Naturale‘s visit leads inside the humblest locals such as basements, mills, barns and joineries. These locals now houses prestigous collections from over 500 years ago. There are a lot of fishes from all continents into the biggest aquarium of sweet water in Italy.

Museo di Storia Naturale dell’Università di Pisa

The presence of two museums in this complex makes it a unique attraction where astonishment, science, history, art and nature are mixed.

For visits:
Tel: +39 050 938430
Address: Via Roma, 79
56011, Calci (PI)

Palazzo Pretorio in Pontedera – PALP

Il Palazzo Pretorio in Pontedera dates back to 1384, it is considerated as one of the most ancient buildings in Pontedera.
From the 15th century the structure was center of the Podesteria, of the Vicariato and of the Pretura. There have been various architectural changes and amplifications.
In 1708 the bells of the clock tower were moved to the church nearby.

In 1848 the building housed Pretura and it took part to Pisa’s court till 2013, when it was abandoned because of the presence of the court’s papers.

Nowadays

Thanks to recent renovation work, Palazzo Pretorio is now accessible again and it has been use as a modern space for temporary exhibitions.

At the ground floor there is a pub, whereas upwards there are two floors used for cultural events and the third one is occupied by Court’s archives.

Currently there is an exhibition in progress until 18th April 2017

Baj’s wall in Pontedera

Baj encapsulated freedom, science and technology in just an artwork

Baj’s wall, inaugurated in 2006, is the artist’s last artwork, founder of “Nucleare” movement. In 1951 Enrico founded in Milan the Nuclear Movement, with the goal to study and analyse the relations with science, art and technology. These polycromatic playful collages located along Viale del Risorgimento represent the mechanics to which it risks to be reduced the man.

The artwork starts with an esaltation of the value of the painting and freedom with the following sentence “Painting is a road that I chose towards freedom. It is a pratice of freedom”. Paople have construed as a symbol of wanderlust, of moving away.

In 2003 Baj sent to the mayor of Pontedera the project composed of 11 collages. Sketches are visible nearby the wall, at Centro per l’Arte Otello Cirri.

Complex of hypogaeums in Terricciola

A place of interest restored entirely by volounteers

Hypogaeums in Terricciola are a place of interest. It is composed of 200 graves abandoned graves and now restored with a sort of museum. The graves were restored by a group of volounteers without the town’s help.

For information and booking 0039.333 9761176 – 0039.333 4612650

The big tower called “Degli Upezzinghi”

This tower is the most emblematic monument of Calcinaia’s old town and the oldest evidence of the ancient castle that is still visible today.

The building dates back to the first half of the thirteenth century. It was originally owned by the Upezzinghi, which was the town’s feudal family from the 10th to the end of the 13th century. Some of the most illustrious sons of the family were born here in Calcinaia, including: Uguccionella, the mother of Count Ugolino mentioned in Dante’s Divine Comedy.

The building has a rectangular plan and was built with blocks of sandstone and verrucana. After the construction of the new city walls (1287) commissioned by the Republic of Pisa and the subsequent expulsion of the Upezzinghi family (ca. 1290), the building became public property and it became the residence of the captain, an officer with civil and criminal jurisdiction over the castle.

The building, along with the house next door, functioned as a seat of power until the middle of the fifteenth century when the Republic of Florence, which had conquered Pisa and its territories in 1406, ordered that the building should be sold to private owners.

The monument was bought by the city in 1921 and the restoration work, which was finished on 22nd January 1924, led to the replacement of some interior floors, the consolidation of the structure and the addition of the battlements that made the tower reach its current height of 18 meters. After suffering damage in World War II, the tower was restored in 1999 and converted into a museum.