Just an hour from The Mall Florence, Certaldo is one of Tuscany’s most captivating medieval villages, with narrow, shady lanes, towers and tucked away little squares that open up unexpectedly between the red brick houses. It is here that Giovanni Boccaccio, author of The Decameron was born.
To reach Certaldo Alto, the old heart of the village, you can either take the funicular railway from Piazza Boccaccio, or walk up along Costa Alberti with its panoramic views.
The first stop is Casa di Boccaccio, now a house-museum with a specialised library dedicated to the writer’s works. A short distance away is the Chiesa dei Santi Jacopo e Filippo (Church of Saints James and Philip) where the writer is buried, and the 15t C Augustinian Convent with the Museum of Sacred Art, which houses precious medieval works, Giovanni Della Robbia glazed terracotta and fine liturgical furnishings.
Continuing to the top of the village you’ll come to Palazzo Pretorio, with its façade studded with stone coats of arms. Explore the frescoed halls, the ancient dungeons, the chapel housing Benozzo Gozzoli’s intriguing Tabernacle of the Executed, and enjoy a stunning view of the Val d’Elsa hills from the tower.
For lunch, you can choose from great Tuscan classics at Osteria da Chichibio or more refined dishes at Osteria La Saletta.
Visitors to Certaldo in June can experience the enchantment of A Cena da Messer Giovanni, an immersive torch-lit medieval banquet held along Via Boccaccio. Around mid-July, the village becomes the stage for Mercantia, Italy’s biggest street theatre festival that fills the town with dance, music, juggling, and circus arts performance. In September, Calambur – Disfida dei Rioni brings the world of The Decameron to life with medieval games, challenges and a grand historic parade.
