Castel san niccolò

Castel San Niccolò is a stone town, and the town of stone. The age-old tradition of hand-carving this living material has its home here. That is how the ‘Mostra della Pietra lavorata’ (exhibition of stonecutting) came about; every other year, the event showcases the best examples of stonecutting not only from the town but from the whole of Italy. Generations of stonecutters, the inhabitants of Strada, keep the tradition alive today by passing it down to the younger generations.

As well as visiting the castle, which dominates the town of Strada from above, almost overpowering it with its sinister presence, the village of Pagliericcio is also well worth a visit – with the Grifoni mill and the magic of the millstones which are still used to make flour from local grains – and the town of Cetica and its surroundings where the cultivation of the ‘perla rossa’ was discovered, otherwise known as the Cetica potato.

It is a fairytale town with a Coal Workers Ecomuseum, tasting trails and festivals about the potato and the flavours of Casentino. In the silent streets you can often hear the echo of the metallic rhythm of hammers and chisels carving out an idea from rough stone. The region of Castel San Niccolò is full of beautiful and romantic, mysterious and delightful towns.

HISTORIC CENTRE

Castel San Niccolò is dominated by a large and scary castle, but the view from its dominating position is not to be missed. The castle got its name from the saint its church is named after, but in the past the hill where it stands was called Ghianzuolo.

As well as its history, when people talk about the castle of Castel San Niccolò, myth and legend impose themselves. There are indeed tales that the hill of Ghianzuolo was inhabited by devils that impeded the construction of the castle; many futile attempts were made to exorcise the place, until at last, thanks to a relic of San Niccolò, Satan was banished, freeing the hill from his presence so that the castle could be built. As a testimony to the banishing of the devil, today one can still see the sign carved in the rock known as the ‘imprint of the devil’.

The castle has the distinctive trait of a clock tower. It was the gateway to the old town, inside there was a bell cast in 1515, which is now looked after in the town hall of Strada. Also inside the town is a chapel with a fresco of a crucifix in a niche, with the Madonna and Saint John on either side, dated 1439. The legend goes that, in gratitude for the liberation of Count Galeotto, the crucifix was painted over a similar work made by a prisoner, who, sentenced to death, spent his last days in the chapel awaiting his execution. The condemned man realised his misdeeds and repented, showing his penitence by painting a crucified Christ using crumbs of bread from his last meal before his death. It was the relatives of the people he killed that asked for his forgiveness owing to the profound depth of his penitence and conversion. For this reason the crucifix is believed to be miraculous, even to those who see it today.

The town square is very unique and not easy to forget. Most of the space is occupied by a beautiful loggia, a building with an old structure made of local stone that was used as a market place. It’s five aisles with arched expanses protected the sellers from bad weather. Also in Piazza Matteotti stands the imposing façade of the late 16th century ‘Palazzo Vettori-Tommasi’.

WHAT TO SEE

We begin the journey through the territory of Castel San Niccolò at Borgo alla Collina, the little town that everyone who arrives from Florence arrives in when coming to the end of the ‘Consuma’ mountain pass. But there is another reason to begin here, which is due to the fact that a very important man was born here; the secretary of the Florentine Republic, predecessor of Lorenzo dei Medici and member of a famous medical group of philosophers and humanists, and one of the most refined commentators of the Divine Comedy: Cristoforo Landino. His body, unspoiled by time, can be found in the town’s church. Not far from the main square, alongside the remains of the town walls, is the ‘Porta di Orgi’, which, along with the arch under the castle, are the only two doors remaining of the original four. From the ‘Porta di Orgi’ passing through rural streets you come across the oratory of ‘Sant’Agata di Orgi’ (10th century, redesigned in the 16th century), which has the ‘Cristo di Orgi’ inside, a crucifix once carried in processions during times of conflict linked to rural life.

Here one finds peace amongst the fields, with the two remaining monks studying the word of God, and the old chapel, dedicated to Saint Agata, the protecting saint of pregnant women and agriculture. For this reason, the place is a pilgrimage destination for women who carry inside themselves a message of hope, of life, creatures in direct contact with God, celestial spheres and nature itself. These places are full of legends, spirituality and history, which are destined to be hidden, but not destroyed. Only by travelling down these roads again, retracing the steps of our ancestors, is it possible to discover their history, and be able to understand and pass on their stories.

Below Borgo alla Collina lies the small town of Strada in Casentino, overlooked by the dark tower of Castel San Niccolò which clings to the side of the mountain. Strada or Vado (meaning ‘ford’ as it was once called) is the town of stone, which is not difficult to understand. This eternal material, born from the bowels of the earth, can be found everywhere and everything seems extracted from it, like pure forms from the formless.

The journey in this town is a journey through paved roads and collonades, it is a voyage through stone itself. The ‘Mostra della Pietra lavorata’ (exhibition of stonecutting) was born out of this town of skilful stonecutters, a biennial event which takes place in the centre of town for around ten days in the second half of August.

You must visit the ‘Pieve di San Martino a Vado’, which is at the beginning of the tree-lined street which leads to the centre of the town. It is one of the most important Romanesque churches in the valley and was first mentioned in 1028. Of considerable interest are the Roman capitals, which adorn the monolithic columns; works by master craftsmen from Lombardy that date back to the 12th century. As with Romena, the interpretation of the sculptures, which adorn the capitals, is a story in stone, the meaning of which is still uncertain. Leaving ‘San Martino a Vado’ you come to Piazza Piave where you can walk up to the ‘Seminario di Strada’ which now houses the Ecomuseum about stone cutting.

The village of Cetica, which is still within the Castel San Niccolò region, is worth its own mention. Walking up to the small, high-up centre of Cetica from Castel San Niccolò is well worth it, above all to see the old stone watermill of the Grifoni brothers.

There aren’t many watermills in Italy that can boast over five hundred years of uninterrupted activity: the Grifoni family, who are still the proprietors today, bought the mill from the community of Castel San Niccolò in 1696 – the date displayed on the architrave above the entrance – but older documents provide evidence that the building had already been used to grind grain for centuries. From these ancient millstones various types of flour are still made, both from wheat and other grains, and during the period between November and January chestnut flour is also produced.

You can visit the mill all year round, as the Grifoni family live there, and you can also buy many types of flour: enabling you to sample fragrances and flavours, which unfortunately are almost unknown to our palettes today.

Cetica is a small town you can enjoy for the beauty of its hidden, yet still thriving location: thanks to the red potato of Cetica, the community has rediscovered spontaneous strength and creative capacities as well as having a small niche of production for their tasty potato.

You can also visit the Coal Workers Ecomuseum, which contains installations about real coal workers reconstructed for school and tourist visits, and the ‘School of Taste’ where each year there are festivals based around local cooking and high quality products.

Not far from the town on the slopes of Pratomagno you will find the ‘Bagni di Cetica’. As well as being a hotel and restaurant, there is also a thermal spring spa, with baths full of freezing cold water where people have carried out healing ablutions for centuries. This is due to a legend, which says that in this place, during an unidentified era, the paths of two sacred men crossed here; Giovanni Gualberto from Vallombrosa and Romualdo from Camaldoli. The two saints met at the thermal spring and praised God and blessed the waters of the spring. Every year hundreds of tourists are drawn to these sacred waters, which they say cure many skin conditions, pain, kidney stones, heal the liver and spleen and rid women of red skin. Try it to believe it.