Certaldo is a town and '' comune'' of

Tuscany it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

, Italy, in the

Metropolitan City of Florence The Metropolitan City of Florence ( it, Città Metropolitana di Firenze) is an administrative division called metropolitan city in the Tuscany region, Italy. Its capital is the city of Florence. It replaced the Province of Florence. It was first c ...

, in the middle of

Valdelsa 250px, Valdelsa between Castelfiorentino.html"_;"title="Certaldo_and_Castelfiorentino">Certaldo_and_Castelfiorentino. Valdelsa_or_Val_d'Elsa_is_the_valley_of_the_river_Elsa_(river).html" ;"title="Castelfiorentino..html" ;"title="Castelfiorentino. ...

. It is about southwest of the Florence Duomo. It is 50 minutes by rail and 35 minutes by car southwest of

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico a ...

, and it is 40 minutes by rail north of

Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centuri ...

. It was home to the family of

Giovanni Boccaccio Giovanni Boccaccio (, , ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so well known as a writer that he was somet ...

, author of the ''

Decameron ''The Decameron'' (; it, label=Italian language, Italian, Decameron or ''Decamerone'' ), subtitled ''Prince Galehaut'' (Old it, Prencipe Galeotto, links=no ) and sometimes nicknamed ''l'Umana commedia'' ("the Human Comedy (drama), comedy", a ...

'', who died at his home in Certaldo and was buried there in 1375. The actor

Ernesto Calindri Ernesto Calindri (5 February 1909 – 9 June 1999) was an Italian theater and film actor. He appeared in 40 films between 1938 and 1989. Selected filmography * '' Golden Arrow'' (1935) * '' It Always Ends That Way'' (1939) * '' The Children ...

was born in Certaldo.

Geography

The town of Certaldo is divided into upper and lower parts. The lower part is called Certaldo Basso, whilst the medieval upper part is called Certaldo Alto. Certaldo Alto has limited vehicular access, for use by residents only. Visitors can park outside the walls or in the lower part and go to Certaldo Alto by the

Certaldo funicular The Certaldo Funicular ( it, Funicolare di Certaldo) is a funicular railway in the town of Certaldo, Tuscany, Italy. It links a terminus in Certaldo Basso, some from Certaldo railway station, with a terminus in Certaldo Alto. The line opened on ...

History

Etruscan-Roman period

Certaldo had Etruscan-

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

origins, as shown by the numerous archaeological finds that are scattered around the city's territory, including ceramics, utensils and Etruscan tombs, some of which were found just recently. The Etruscan origins were discovered mostly thanks to the

toponymy Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...

of some localities and streams, for example the Agliena and the Elsa river (which flow near Certaldo), and the foodstuffs deposits in the hills. There are two hills in Certaldo where Etruscan tombs have been found, Poggio del Boccaccio and Poggio alle Fate. There was also a necropolis. All of the finds of Etruscan-Roman origin are today kept in the ground floor of the Palazzo Pretorio, in the medieval part of the town. *Boccaccio's house, of red brick, like the other old houses here, was restored in 1823 and furnished with old furniture. A statue of him was erected in the main square in 1875. *The Palazzo Pretorio, or Vicariale, the residence of the Florentine governors, recently restored to its original condition, has a picturesque facade adorned with ceramic coats of arms, and in the interior are various frescoes dating from the 13th to the 16th century.

Culture

The town hosts several festivals a year. The largest and most famous is Mercantia, a week-long party in Certaldo Alto. It involves numerous street performers from across Italy, Europe and the Americas.

Twin towns

Neuruppin Neuruppin (; North Brandenburgisch: ''Reppin'') is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, the administrative seat of Ostprignitz-Ruppin district. It is the birthplace of the novelist Theodor Fontane (1819–1898) and therefore also referred to as ''Font ...

, Germany * Emblem of Kanra, Gunma

Kanramachi, Japan * Canterbury Arms

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of the ...

, United Kingdom

References

Cities and towns in Tuscany {{Florence-geo-stub