Since the time of the Etrurians, Vicopisano held a strategic position: at the top of a hill, whose hillsides were washed by two rivers which, after several reclamations, today no longer cross these lands. These were namely: the river Auser (Serchio), which used to link Vicopisano with the area of Lucca, and the river Arno, which used to link it with Pisa’s coastline. This characteristics brought Florence’s attention to Vicopisano. In the fifteenth century, Florence transformed it in one of her strongest fortresses, following the project of the military architect, Filippo Brunelleschi.

A part of these fortifications has remained intact and one can reach it by walking through the core of the ancient urban centre, which offers beautiful examples of turret-dwellings. At the feet of the urban centre, a Romanic parish church is situated in the old market square. One of the rarest wooden removals survived in Tuscany is preserved in this Romanic church.

The remains of the hermitage where Domenico Cavalca, the eleventh-twelfth century Domenican writer and preacher, can be admired walking through the paths which lead to the remains of the Verruca fortress, at 400 mt on the north-west side of Vicopisano. 

Some hints for a guided tour:

-      The Parish Church, the fortress and the medieval area.

-      Visit at a ceramic laboratory.

At your request, possibility to dine in a farm and taste local specialities.