Certaldo is a town and comune (municipality) of Tuscany, Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Florence, located in the middle of Valdelsa. It is about 35 km southwest of the Florence Cathedral (50 minutes by rail and 35 minutes by car from the city), and 40 minutes by rail north of Siena. It was home to the family of Giovanni Boccaccio, author of the Decameron, who was possibly born and died at his home in Certaldo, being buried there in 1375. It is also the birthplace of actor Ernesto Calindri and of coach Luciano Spalletti, who has been the manager of Italy national football team since 2023.

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.

History

Etruscan-Roman period

Certaldo had Etruscan-Roman 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 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.

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