Masso della Gonfolina
A natural monument full of history and legends
In the area around Lastra a Signa, there is a place shrouded in legend, where the threads of man and nature intertwine in an intricate knot. This place is home to a large boulder, a silent testament to the history of this corner of the Valdarno, a shapeless monolith that evokes the memory of a primordial landscape, yet to be moulded by the needs of civilization.
It’s said that Ercole, upon his return from Spain, stayed in Tuscany for some time, becoming the king of the Etruscans. To meet the needs of the inhabitants, the hero destroyed the natural dam that blocked water from the Arno from leaving the Florentine plain, creating the Gonfolina canyon. According to Renaissance-era historians in Florence, – Giovanni Villani, Scipione Ammirato and il Borghini – the “Gonfolina” boulder blocked the Arno, which contributed to flooding in the area. The ancient Romans removed it, allowing for an early and partial reclamation of the plain and the subsequent colonization of the territory.
In his Geographical, Physical, Historical Dictionary of Tuscany, Emanuele Repetti wrote that the Gonfolina was eroded by the constant flow of water and that humans had nothing to do with shaping it. In addition to the stories of Ercole and Romans, there are many popular legends tied to this place: it’s said that the stonecutters who attempted to hammer away at the boulder broke their tools against it, which they claimed was as hard as metal.
Even the Germans, during World War II, weren’t able to blow up the boulder with their explosives. Some say that the place is also inhabited by sprite-like fairies, which is where it gets its alternative name, Masso delle Fate, fate meaning “fairies,” and is possibly where Castruccio Castracani buried the golden hen. The road leading to Empoli that passes right by the boulder is more recent. Running along the left bank of the Arno, it was made suitable for carts under Grand Duke Leopold II sometime in the late 18th century. The road used to be known as the strada militare pisana and passed by the castle in Malmantile.
