Speculation in Historic Villages in Tuscany

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Hello dearest friends,

Yesterday the weather was really bad in my area, and a bit today as well, and practically all my appointments with clients were canceled. So I took advantage of the time to prepare this post to share with you in the community.
I wanted to talk to you about a place I’ve visited several times, which I’ve always liked a lot, but I’ve never really done an in-depth post about this location in Tuscany.

I’m talking about Artimino, a hamlet of the municipality of Carmignano. It’s about 250 meters above sea level, and as I mentioned and hinted at in previous posts, unfortunately, part of this village has been transformed into a resort. I wasn't able to take many pictures of the area where entry is prohibited, but a part of it has been turned into a luxury hotel, and this is the downside of the speculation happening in historical villages.

In fact, near this village stands the Medici Villa La Ferdinanda, and this area has been turned into an estate just 20 km from Florence.
Still, it remains a beautiful area, from which you can admire a stunning panorama, as seen in the photos I’ve shared.
There is also an archaeological museum, which I didn’t visit, and I’d say the village is quite lively. I noticed quite a few tourists, although I think many of them were probably coming from the estate itself.

In any case, we should also consider that the proximity to the Medici Villa, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, certainly attracts tourists. However, it was the kind of tourism I don't particularly like, mostly luxury tourism, which in some cases might not even be that interested in the historical and artistic aspects.

It would have been nice to visit the Pieve di San Leonardo, an important example of Romanesque architecture dating back to the 12th century, but as usual, I found this church, like many others, closed. However, I managed to take some pictures of the exterior.

As I was saying, I wanted to share this place with you because I had the opportunity to visit it, and it didn’t really impress me much. I wanted to show you the speculative risks when big hotel chains invest in these places.

I wish you all a good day, and I’ll see you soon.