Certaldo and Boccaccio's house

Certaldo - Certaldo is a medieval village in the province of Florence, famous because Giovanni Boccaccio was born and died here. The town is divided into Certaldo Alto and Certaldo Basso. Certaldo Alto is the ancient village and dates back to 1300; to reach it you have to use the funicular. Here it seems that time has stopped, to be still in the Middle Ages, in fact the village is characterized by narrow streets, ancient houses and towers.

The gateway to the village is called Porta Alberti; social life is concentrated on the main street: Via Boccaccio, where we find the writer's house: Boccaccio's house is a brick building, now used as a museum; in the main hall there are exhibitions on life and works. On the ground floor there are editions and autographs of great personalities who once visited the house. Upstairs there is the large library with books translated into many foreign languages. From the loggia of the house we can admire the wonderful panorama of the Val D'Elsa, the village of Certaldo is in fact completely immersed in the valley. The typical product of Certaldo is the onion that takes its name from the village, with an intense but sweet flavor, suitable for soups and jams.