Discovering Impruneta: The Land of Terracotta and Hidden Treasures Near Florence

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Hello dearest friends,

Unfortunately, in my area, the cold has returned, and this weather, which I really hate, has made me sick again. So today, I find myself at home alone, and not knowing what to do, I decided to write another post to share here with you in this wonderful community.

I realized that I had accidentally forgotten to share some photos I took when I was in the Florence area. You all know that Florence is quite a large city, with a rich artistic heritage, but there are also beautiful places outside the city, still within its municipal boundaries.

Today, I want to tell you about Impruneta, a place that's essentially under the Municipality of Florence and is famous for its terracotta production. It seems that this area has excellent soil, and over the years, this art of pottery has developed. I have to admit, it was a discovery for me because I didn't know about this tradition, which I learned about when I visited this place.

The first thing that struck me when I entered the square in this area was definitely its church. It’s quite unique, I'd say, but it's actually one of the most famous Marian shrines in Tuscany. And I say unique because it has this facade that almost looks like a historic palace.

As you can see from the photos I've shared, in the main square, there are terracotta vases, just to show visitors, who might be visiting this place for the first time, that this is indeed the homeland of terracotta, and much of the economy in past years revolved around it.

Certainly, one thing that impressed me a lot is that throughout the town, you can find many terracotta sculptures. From what I understood, these were created by some local artists who decided to beautify this village with all these sculptures. Very charming, I’d say!

I have to say that the landscape surrounding this village is also very beautiful, with plenty of untouched greenery. In fact, this is what I really like about Tuscany: that somehow this region has managed to maintain its natural side.

I was quite fortunate because I was also able to visit this important church inside. Actually, I took refuge inside because it was raining a bit outside, and I have to say that even in this place, I was able to see some great works of art. And I must say that in any church one enters, there’s always something interesting to observe—be it a fresco, an altarpiece, or an ancient organ, there's always something that leaves you in awe.

Unfortunately, I found parts of the village vandalized, and that's a bit of the downside of Italy: there's no respect for common goods and historic places. And I'm noticing that this is becoming an increasingly worrying problem. I don't know if this is happening in other parts of the world as well?

I hope you enjoyed my photos, and I hope that since this place is very close to Florence, you'll come and visit it—it’s definitely worth it!

I wish you all a good day, and I'll see you soon in my next post!