Certaldo


Certaldo is a town and comune of Tuscany, Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Florence, in the middle of Valdelsa. It is about southwest of the Florence Duomo.
It is 50 minutes by rail and 35 minutes by car southwest of Florence, and it is 40 minutes by rail north of Siena.
It was home to the family of Giovanni Boccaccio, author of the Decameron. He died at his home inside the town and was buried here in 1375. The actor Ernesto Calindri was also born in Certaldo.

Geography

The town of Certaldo is divided into upper and lower parts. The lower part is called Certaldo Basso, whilst the medieval upper part is called Certaldo Alto. Certaldo Alto has limited vehicular access, for use by residents only. Visitors can park outside the walls or in the lower part and go to Certaldo Alto by the Certaldo funicular.

History

Etruscan-Roman period

Certaldo had Etruscan-Roman origins, as shown by the numerous archaeological finds that are scattered around the city's territory, including ceramics, utensils and Etruscan tombs, some of which were found just recently. The Etruscan origins were discovered mostly thanks to the Toponymy of some localities and streams, for example the Agliena and the Elsa river, and the foodstuffs deposits in the hills. There are two hills in Certaldo where Etruscan tombs have been found, Poggio del Boccaccio and Poggio alle Fate. There was also a necropolis. All of the finds of Etruscan-Roman origin are today kept in the ground floor of the Palazzo Pretorio, in the medieval part of the town.
The town hosts several festivals a year. The largest and most famous is Mercantia, a week-long party in Certaldo Alto. It involves numerous street performers from across Italy, Europe and even the Americas.

Twin towns