Behold the panorama of Montalbano and the Fucecchio Marsh. Today, we are exploring Monsummano Terme, one of Tuscany’s traditional destinations, ideal for enjoying the benefits of a thermal spring while visiting the region as a whole. This is a strategic point that enables quick access to the tourist cities and surrounds. But there are also monuments and sites of considerable interest in the nearby areas. The itinerary we propose includes a route from the Castle of Monsummano Alto to the quaint neighboring villages.
The municipality of Monsummano Terme was founded upon the union of the oldest communities of the ancient fortified villages of Monsummano Alto and Montevettolini. The town is structured around the Sanctuary of Maria Santissima della Fontenuova which, since its beginnings in 1602, has been a place of veneration and a pilgrimage destination. Indeed, since 1573, many miraculous events have been attributed to the image of the Madonna, including a spring that sprang from a rock near the tabernacle, after which the Sanctuary would later be named. Across from the church is the Osteria dei Pellegrini, in a building commissioned by Grand Duke Ferdinand I that is today serves as the Museum of the City and Territory, established in 1998. Another museum of importance is the Museum of Contemporary and 20ᵗʰ Century Art, known as the “MAC,n” and housed since 2000 in the Villa Renatico Martini, which was constructed in 1887 in Monsummano Terme at the behest of Ferdinando Martini, a journalist, man of letters, and statesman.
The museum houses a civic collection, part of which is displayed in spaces on the ground floor. Works in the collection include those by Pietro Annigoni, Vinicio Berti, Ferdinando Chevrier, Lamberto Pignotti, Eugenio Miccini and Ketty La Rocca.
