CHURCHES

An artistic-historical route of particular interest is the one involving the churches in our territory. It winds along the Via dei Sette Ponti, which is marked by the presence of numerous parish churches (pieve), among which are those of San Pietro [St Peter] at Cascia and of San Pietro at Pitiana.

Thanks to its conformation and starting in the Middle Ages, the Upper Valdarno formerly constituted the briefest passage between the Italy of the Po Valley and Rome, and used to represent one of the preferential routes for pilgrims. In fact, in the 12th century the Via Valdarnese was named Via Sancti Petri. Along this route, particular status is held by the parish church of San Pietro at Cascia, a magnificent example of Romanesque architecture in the Upper Valdarno. The first testimonial on it is documented by written sources that date back to 1040. It is possible to visit the Museum of Sacred Art of Cascia, located next to the said pieve, where Masaccio’s Madonna and Child is on display.