Borgo della Rocca is a lovely B&B, and I was the only one staying there so I had the whole place to myself. Only one problem: Ristorante della Rocca, the only place to eat at the top of the hill, is closed on Wednesdays! So rather than walk all the way all the way back down to the new town below, I dined on dried fruit and nuts and herbal tea. The owners said I could take something from the breakfast supplies, but due to Covid restrictions all they can serve at the moment is pre-packaged croissants and melba toast with individually packaged portions of jam. With the addition of these items, I made my meagre supper, and then went to bed. I woke up hungry before dawn, breakfasted on another pre-packaged croissant and more melba toast, and headed back onto the trail.
A winding country lane took me through the trees and around the back of an abandoned Medici villa known as the Casa del Barone. It became a gravel road and then a path through the woods, taking me around a reservoir then up to the crest of the hill, passing more abandoned farmhouses on the way.
The trail carried on downhill to Figline, emerging by the beautiful fresco of the tabernacle of St. Anna painted on the wall of a home by Agnolo Gaddi in 1390!
After stopping at the bar in Figline for cappuccino and a real, fresh croissant, bursting with jam, I walked along the road towards Prato, switching to a pedestrian and cycling path along the bank of the Bisenzio river. I walked over the bridge and through the city gate, still hung with giant wooden doors, and made my way to the cathedral square.
The great treasure of Prato Cathedral is a belt said to have belonged to the Virgin Mary, who handed it to St. Thomas immediately before her ascension and said here, hold my belt and watch this!
The marble pulpit on the corner of the building, designed by Donatello and Michelozzo, was added for the ostentation of this treasured relic, and buildings were knocked down to enlarge the square in front of the cathedral to permit the crowds to come and see it. It is now displayed only a few times a year, and kept locked away the rest of the time in an altar also designed by Donatello and Michelozzo in its own chapel in the cathedral.
But the cathedral is best known today for the chapels behind the altar frescoed by Paolo Uccello, Andrea di Giusto and Filippo Lippi.
I continued my whirlwind tour of Prato, stopping for a slice of pizza and to climb up to the ramparts of the castle.
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| Palazzo Pretorio |
Eventually I had to leave Prato, and continue along the cycling path along the river. When the cycling path ended, the trail climbed part way up the hill and continued, hugging the hillside, above an abandoned old cement mill, as well as more modern industries, busy roads and railroad tracks. It came down to the valley floor again to follow an embankment and cross an old stone bridge before coming to the outskirts of Calenzano. Here I had an appointment to meet one of the inhabitants of
Casa Matta, a farmhouse high up above the town which rents out rooms for the night. Luckily, I didn't have to walk all the way up here!
And, luckily, they can also provide dinner!
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| Casa Matta |
Rocca di Montemurlo - Calenzano 22.5 km
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