Montefoscoli

In the heart of Tuscany, on a little hill, stands Montefoscoli. This little quaint village was a castle with its own parish church, Santa Maria Assunta. No one can certainly say why this thorp is called Montefoscoli, but there are two theories about this: the first one says that in 1101 the Countess Matilda gave to one of the feudatories, Foscolo Scarpetta, the village; the second theory says that the name comes from the fog that wraps the hamlet during rainy days (the Italian for mist is foschia). Currently the village counts about 450 inhabitants but several families are now moving there, especially from other countries, because they love the typical Tuscan countryside. THE FESTIVAL

Every year in April in Montefoscoli the Civilt Contadina Festival, a festival about farming culture, takes place. During that event some inhabitants, wearing farming clothes, sell typical products and organize guided tours of the marvellous museum that shows some tools used by farmers as well as some relics from the Napoleonic period. In the village visitors can also see a museum of 19th century clothes and wedding dresses which is opened just for this occasion and a little charity shop, while in the afternoon there is a nice theatrical show for kids. THE TEMPLE

At the bottom of the village, situated in a quaint forest, you can find the majestic Minerva Medica Temple, the best-conserved construction of Ridolfo Castinelli, a famous Tuscan engineer. The construction of the building was commissioned by Andrea Vacc, a doctor and a luminary of the University of Pisa, in 1822. It was built as a dedication to Andrea Vacc's father, Francesco Vacc, who was a doctor too. Almost every full moon night, a cultural team organizes guided tours to the Temple. The meeting point is the Civilt Contadina museum, where tourists can taste typical food and drink delicious local wines. THE MUSEUM

The Civilt Contadina Museum is situated in Vacc Berlinghieri's palace and it has been built to show, through ancient tools and particular farming instruments, the connection between the countryside and the locals, and the lifestyle in this area during the 19th and early 20th centuries.