Montemignaio

Montemignaio is a village to discover, a perfect place to stay, and an ideal place to think. It is surrounded by welcoming countryside, that mankind has shaped for centuries, while always respecting its equilibrium. Montemignaio is one of the last places you pass when you leave Casentino in the direction of Florence. Its castle, which dominates everything, stands proud above the mountainside dispersed with small simply-detailed houses, its main square, its neighbourhoods, everything is seemingly created to allow you a moment to relax. It is surrounded by spruce plantations; the most famous Christmas trees in Tuscany. To go to Montemignaio you can pass through either Strada in Casentino or the ‘Consuma’ mountain pass. Both roads are beautiful and restful as they are surrounded by nature; even if it is a bit long, the one that leads off the ‘Consuma’ really is incomparable. The countryside you come across is beautiful and simple: mountains, woods, the castle, the terraces that act as metaphors for life on this mountain. Once upon a time they tried to cultivate every tiny piece of available land for their and the communities livelihood.

HISTORIC CENTRE

The thing to admire most in Montemignaio is the countryside. It is, in fact, the most renowned town for Christmas trees in Tuscany. In the nineties around 45 thousand plants were produced, an amount slightly reduced today due to the use of plastic trees. It is a production process that completely respects the environment, so much so that for a few years now, they offer the possibility to replant your tree and even go back to collect it the next year.

The ‘Oratorio della Madonna delle calle’ church is a welcoming historical destination not to be missed.

WHAT TO SEE

Coming from the ‘Consuma’ road, before the castle you will find a side road that leads to the ‘Oratorio della Madonna delle Calle’ church’, whose origins are unknown, but was built along the old wall that climbs up from Montemignaio towards the ‘Consuma’. Originally it was a tabernacle originating from at least the middle of the 15th century. The Oratory was built thanks to the donations of travellers and pilgrims who came to admire the image of the Madonna kept there, believed miraculous, it was an object of great devotion. After visiting the ‘Oratorio delle Calle’ and returning to the main road, after a short distance you will find the castle of Montemignaio, the ancient ‘Castel Leone’. The remaining tower on the right has been used for a long time as a belfry and contains a bell cast by Count Simone di Battifolle in 1332. The story of this bell is an interesting one as during the French occupation in 1799, it rang to call the insurgent countrymen together to fight against the republican troops; as a result the French, wanting to silence it but unable to stop the bell ringing, took the bell clapper away. Years later it was found in a blacksmiths in Rovezzano near Florence. Following on from the castle you will find the church of ‘Santa Maria Assunta in Cielo’, which is older than the castle as it was first cited in 1103.