Calzaiolo

Calzaiolo is a cluster of houses at the confluence of the Terzona stream and the Pesa river. It owes its name to Giovanni di Pietro Calzaiolo and his wife Caterina, who in 1140 founded a hospital for poor pilgrims dedicated to Saint James on this site. The large building can be easily recognized from the road. The hospital was dissolved in the 15th century and the building was rented to Giunta Bindi rich Florentine wool merchant, who turned it into a house. The faded fresco on the facade dates back to the Renaissance and shows two angels holding a garland with an illegible coat-of-arms. In more recent times, the building became a storage for wine-vats, the large lowered arch was opened up on the facade, and the Machiavelli shield with the date 1871 placed above it. The simple building on the right, originally the hospital’s chapel, is now a shop.

Montecalvi

Via San Vito goes up through the woods to the rural houses of Montecalvi. A tower along the road and another, incorporated in one of the houses a little further on, are the remains of the Cavalcanti castle. The castle, which first appears in historical records in 1060, was burnt down by the Ghibellines after the battle of Montaperti, but was later rebuilt by the powerful Cavalcanti family. Having gained back their influence and prestige, they rebelled against Florence in 1304. The Commune’s army punished the Cavalcanti, seizing and dismantling their two most powerful castles, Montecalvi and Le Stinche.

Bargino

The village of Bargino lies at the font of the Bibbione hill. The villa belonged to Giovanni di Piero Buondelmonti in the 16th century. Next to it stands a small chapel, which was given its present appearance in the 18th century.

A Note on Chianti Stones
The hills of San Casciano lie on an area which in prehistoric times was covered by a sea, whose waters extended from the Chianti mountains to lake Trasimeno. Later, it sank into a series of basins, defined by islands and submerged mountains. One of these basins extended from the Chianti mountains to the Elsa Valley. Substantial quantities of pebbles, rounded and levitated by the waters, accumulated in this area; they still surface in the Val di Pesa and in the surrounding hills and were widely used as masonry for churches and castles, especially during the Middle Ages.

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