Vernio

The Vernio area includes the hamlets of Terrigoli, Cavarzano, Costozze, Le Confina, Mercatale Vernio and Montepiano, a popular summer resort with its Badia and in a grassy space near Casa del Mulino Bruno Saetti’s Sun sculpture.

San Quirico is the capital of the municipality, home to the Casone dei Bardi, now the town hall, the Oratory of San Niccolò and the MUMAT Museum. In Sant’Ippolito, visitors can explore the Romanesque Parish Church of Santi Ippolito and Cassiano. Between San Quirico and Sasseta there’s the Rocca di Vernio complex, now privately owned. 

Also worth seeing in Vernio is the Church of San Leonardo and San Quirico, while for hiking lovers it’s certainly worth setting out in the Alto Carigiola area and up to Monte delle Scalette.

Lovers of culture and history can continue their journey in the Prato area. In the past, this area was rich in castles which, even today, are charming and elegant. Examples include Fossato, Luicciana, Codilupo and the Cerbaia Fortress.

Villa di Poggio a Caiano is a historical gem, a Medici residence that's an example of Renaissance architecture. Every year, it relives its history with the passionate event of the Siege of the Villa.

In the municipality of Carmignano, the splendid Medici Villa La Ferdinanda in Artimino stands out, also known as the Villa dei Cento Camini. Another higlight is the 16th-century Villa di Trefiano, headed like others in the area by Bernardo Buontalenti.

Every year in Vernio, on the first Sunday of Lent, one of the oldest typical products of Tuscany is celebrated: polenta made with sweet chestnut flour, even more delicious if accompanied by herring and cod. This celebration is called the Festa della Polenta or della Pulendina, although many know it as the Festa della Miseria. It's also an opportunity to organize historical re-enactments with performances and costumed processions.

Zuccherini from Vernio are dry aniseed and donut-shaped biscuits, typical of the Upper Bisenzio Valley. These delicacies are first baked in the oven and then glazed in a sugar syrup. They are generally eaten for breakfast or a snack, but they are also perfect at the end of a meal, accompanied by a glass of vin santo.