Santa Maria a Monte
area operatoriSanta Maria a Monte
An important medieval outpost thanks to its hilltop position, Santa Maria a Monte was long sought after by Florence, Lucca and Pisa.
The historical centre has a unique urban layout: the houses and building line all of the streets which unravel in a spiral pattern. A stroll along the streets uncovers traces of the medieval defensive system: arches, tower-houses, the clock tower, the building of the podestà or high officals, and the Collegiata Church that contains prized artistic works.
Santa Maria a Monte is the birth place of Vincenzo Galilei, composer and father of Galileo and it is also the site of Casa Carducci, where the poet Giosuè Carducci spent his youth.
The traditions of the town are renewed in the celebrations that honour the patron saint, Beata Giuntini, culminating on Easter Monday with the Breadbasket Parade, when the girls of the town carry decorated breadbaskets on their heads.
The "Tosca" potato is a typical product of Santa Maria a Monte. This variety of yellow potato is excellent fried and is the theme of a sagra in August and a culinary review (La Piazza del Gusto) in June.
The municipal territory stretches from the hilly slopes of the Cerbaie and the plains of the Arno to the marshlands of Bientina. The Tavolaia Astronomy Observatory is not far from the main town. One of the most important in Tuscany it organises astronomy courses and themed evenings for adults and children.
Santa Maria a Monte is part of the Comprensorio del Cuoio, a Tuscan leather industry industrial district that also comprises the municipalities of Santa Croce sull'Arno, Castelfranco di Sotto, Montopoli in Val d'Arno and San Miniato in the province of Pisa and Fucchio in the province of Florence.
