Populated since ancient times, located in the heart of the Valdelsa, halfway between Florence and Siena, Castelfiorentino represents the typical Tuscan town where the traces of the past are combined with the vital activities of the present, and can be admired in its museums that preserve the ingredients of the local identity. An identity that comes from afar and that the conservation and enhancement of the cultural heritage preserves and leads towards the future.
Museo Be.Go.
In the modern Be.Go. Museum, dedicated to the work of the famous painter Benozzo Gozzoli, it is possible to admire some of the precious frescoes he painted in the Florentine Valdelsa: “Tabernacle of the Madonna della Tosse” (1484) and the “Tabernacle of Madonna delle Grazie” also known as the Visitation (1490-91), thanks to which Benozzo Gozzoli left two important examples of Renaissance culture in Tuscany. As well as being a qualified centre for studying the artistic career of Benozzo Gozzoli and his works, which are distributed throughout Tuscany and the entire world, the Museum also hosts numerous temporary exhibitions in order to constantly update the local cultural offering. It also provides a most interesting programme of educational activities, along with special visits and social inclusion projects (for people who are blind or partially sighted, Alzheimer’s patients, the deaf etc.).
Sacred Art Museum of Saint Verdiana
The Sacred art museum of Saint Verdiana which stands next door to the eponymous Sanctuary, exhibits a XIII century panel “Madonna with Child” attributed to Cimabue, alongside works by Annibale Gatti, Taddeo Gaddi, Corso di Buono, Jacopo del Casentino, and finally a rich collection of illuminated manuscripts and sacred objects and furnishings. The symbolic image of the Museum is the panel entitled “Saint Verdiana amidst the snakes”, the most ancient image of saint, dressed as a Dominican nun.
Oratory of Saint Carlo Borromeo
Next to the Be.Go. Museum, stands the Oratory of Saint Carlo Borromeo erected in 1885. On the Baroque altar there is a canvas by Fancesco Boldrini of 1618 depicting the “Madonna in glory with the Saints”.
The building hosts many temporary exhibitions.
Simoncini Bike Frame Museum
Located in the historic premises where the production of Simoncini Telai was born, in Via Sant’Ippolito, in the historic center of Castelfiorentino, in the museum you will find many frames, from the first frame that Renato Simoncini built in 1949, to the frames marked Aquila Montevarchi, to the productions of the 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s. There is also a lot of current material: Corsa, MTB, Gravel.
Inside, explanatory panels have been set up on construction techniques, materials (steel, stainless steel, titanium), to make the museum accessible to all.
Alzata con Forza
The Horse, the work of hand-woven iron wire that Davide Dall’Osso positioned at the Piovanelli Park in Pieve Santi Ippolito e Biagio, 4 meters high and clearly visible from the slip road – where today the horse-motor races along – means exactly this: getting up again, with the strength, the beauty, the elegance of the gesture that only the horse releases.
The shots of the short film created by the director and filmmaker Paolo Boriani, who worked with Rai Cinema and Sky Arte, with the contribution of the Municipality of Castelfiorentino and the Cetra association, start from the Horse and linger on the myriad of threads that together make up the work majestic.