Lights and colors in the day and in the night

If you are fond of vivid, bright and warm colors, we suggest an itinerary designed especially for you. In fact, there are many works of contemporary art in which lights and colors play an important role. A role that often goes beyond the first glance and that is based on emotions and on the relationship with the landscape the work refers to.

So, you can admire for example the walkway “Endeless Sunset” in Peccioli, whose spiral siding recalls the colors of the sun setting, or the street “Via di Mezzo” in Ghizzano, in which the colors of the houses of the entire street recall the colors of the surrounding countryside. In addition, you can enjoy the lighting of the Multipurpose Center in Peccioli, whose shades change every 15 minutes depending on the overall sentiment of the Italian users of the social network Twitter, or stare at Cumulus Humilis, an installation at Hotel Portavaldera.

Therefore, we wish you a good walk along an itinerary that changes from day to night.

Peccioli

Chiassi a fil di luce – Via Corbiano, via Zucchelli, vicolo Baldasserini
An eye on the landfill – Vicolo Pecori
Light Mood – Centro polivalente di Peccioli
Endless sunset – Tuttofuoco Walkway
Azzurro – Church of Madonna del Carmine
Et fugit in nemora – Via dei Bastioni
Artificial wind – Piazza del Carmine
Happiness is a way – Pieve di San Verano
Tunnel – Via Bastioni
In Peccioli lux – Centro Polivalente

Portavaldera

Cumulus Humilis – Hotel Portavaldera
Alba – Hotel Portavaldera
Sed necesse est – Hotel Portavaldera
Recalling and Door – Hotel Portavaldera

Ghizzano

Via di Mezzo – Ghizzano
Elevatio corpus – Ghizzano
Solid Sky – Ghizzano

Gallery

Et fugit in nemora – Peccioli
Passerella Tuttofuoco – Peccioli
Via di Mezzo – Ghizzano
Chiassi al fil di luce – Peccioli
Via di Mezzo – Ghizzano
Endless Sunset Patrick Tuttofuoco – Peccioli
Cumulus Humilis – Hotel Portavaldera
Elevatio corpus – Ghizzano
Elevatio corpus – Ghizzano

The Soul Hunter – On the trail of the killer

“It all begins with a lifeless woman arranged in a display case as if it were a relic. It is only the first case of a tragic trail of blood”. In this way Romano De Marco, author of the thriller “The soul hunter”, introduces his mystery novel set in Peccioli.

“Angelo Crespi is one of the leading Italian experts on serial killers. He captured three of them, thanks to the ability to access their minds and anticipate their criminal actions. His was an extraordinary career, until that cursed day. The day he had to pay a price too high for anyone. When the pain is impossible to stand, the only alternative to suicide is vanishing off the face of the earth. Say goodbye to a job, to relationships, even to one’s identity. With a new name, for over twenty years, Crespi has been living a different existence, trying to come to terms with the ghosts of the past. He found shelter in a secluded town, wrapped in the placid atmosphere of the Tuscan hills, in the province of Pisa.

Peccioli seems to be an ideal destination for his retreat, until even in that pleasant place someone starts killing. Ruthless ritual crimes, linked to the artistic heritage in town. The man called to investigate is Captain Mauro Rambaldi of the Carabinieri operational department. A man of action, pragmatic, a talented detective. But when his investigation turns out to be more complex than expected, Rambaldi can’t help but ask Crespi to join the fray once again to help him catch the killer. For the hunter of souls, therefore, a new challenge is looming … and this time it could be the last one”.

The thriller takes place almost entirely in Peccioli and, step by step, it is possible to find the places and characters that characterize our town in the manuscript. For lovers of the noir genre, we prepared a map that traces, step by step, the locations where the main actions of the novel take place.

Enjoy your visit!

Centro Polivalente (Multipurpose Center)

The facility was designed in the 90s by the architect Alberto Samonà. It was obtained from the restoration of the old crenellated front of a warehouse belonging to the former estate Gaslini and from the emptying of an embankment. It is made of two halls and an urban terrace, intended for events and exhibitions. In 2016 Angelo Casciello decorated its interiors, adding his Multipurpose Sign on a wall. At the entrance is Light Mood, a work by Corsini that records people’s moods and transforms them into colors. On the terrace, a wall shows Tribute to Giorgio Gremignai, a PVC canvas with sketches representing the culture of peasants, so dear to the former town council member and artist. On the top is the sculpture Tempio del vento by Casciello. From the terrace, Nel Momento, a work by Remo Salvadori, can be seen on the imposing building in the front, at the beginning of Corso Matteotti.

More info: Fondazione Peccioliper Archive

Via della Resistenza – Twin of the Tabernacle by Benozzo Gozzoli

Via della Resistenza – Twin of the Tabernacle by Benozzo Gozzoli

While the small garden of the Carabinieri barracks is embellished by the sculpture by Nicola Carrino, Costruttivo Peccioli, a twin reproduction of the Tabernacle by Benozzo Gozzoli in Legoli was placed on the embankment of the road junction right in front of them. At the time of the Second World War, the road where the two works are located was only a country road; today it is the symbol of Resistance in Peccioli. Here, on March 19 1944, some people of Peccioli in revolt freed eleven boys arrested by the fascists.

Fondi Rustici Palace

Fondi Rustici Palace was part of Ospedale Nuovo di Pisa since the 1600s, as evidenced by the coat of arms A(lexander) E(piscopus) and by the inscription H(ospitali) N(ovi) P(isarum) placed on one of its gates. In the 18th century it was bought by the Berte family and then it was passed to the Gaslini Foundation in Genoa, at the beginning of the 20th century.

Today it is owned by the company Belvedere S.p.A., which has its premises in part of the palace, whereas its ancient cellar hosts the Archaeological Museum.

The Red Tower of the Palace dates back to medieval times and it was very probably part of the ancient fortification walls of the town.

Church of Palm Sunday

The Church of Palm Sunday is located at the entrance to the town and takes this name because a service is arranged here exclusively on this holiday. The small church is located at the highest point of the village, in an area called “Cantinaccia”

Untitled, intervention in Fabbrica by Alberto Garutti

Alberto Garutti, Untitled, 1997, Fabbrica

Garutti’s idea is to restore a building that is significant for the village and make it usable again, while maintaining its original features. Speaking with the locals, listening to the tales and stories of the past, the artist identifies a building owned by the curia, used as a parish hall.

That place, which had previously served as a theater, was a meeting point: here the destinies of the inhabitants were intertwined and bonds were born, sometimes even sentimental ones. What Garutti creates is a restoration of the façade with a mainly symbolic intention. At the entrance he also inserts an inscription that reads: “This work is dedicated to the girls and boys who fell in love in this small theater. July 18th, 1997 “.

Welcome to Peccioli, our welcome by Giugiaro

Giorgetto Giugiaro, Welcome to Peccioli, 1999, Peccioli, La Fila road

On the roundabout of the provincial road La Fila, a large toponymic sign is designed by the Giugiaro studio. Giant metal letters spell out “Peccioli”, standing out on a lawn. A welcome to those who go in that direction, it takes a digital form in the “O”, in which a clock/screen is inserted. The work highlights a high-tech modus operandi, but also the great attention by the studio to the criteria of sustainable design.

More info: Archive of Fondazione Peccioliper

“Gabbiani” (The Seagulls) work by Raffaello Mauro Marcucci at the Waste Disposal and Treatment Plant

Raffaello Mauro Marcucci, Gabbiani, 2010, Legoli, Waste Disposal and Treatment Plant

Made in 2010 for the Waste Disposal and Treatment Plant in Legoli, the sculptures were installed in Piazza del Popolo until summer 2020 and then they returned to the Legoli plant.

The image of three seagulls is related to a sequence of movements indicating the departure in flight of a bird. In the first element, the animal is in a preliminary position; in the second, it shows the first movements and in the third the wings are unfolded and the flight begins.

The supporting structures are made of rigid tubes of drawn copper, on which the sections of the wings and the body are assembled. The feather covering was made of annealed and embossed copper. Annealing was essential both for the flexibility of the material and for its chromatic effects.

More Info: Peccioliper Fondazione Archive

The Castagno loop

This loop is called “The loop of Il Castagno” from the name of the place that splits it into two halves. It is one of the most popular itineraries among local cyclists. It goes along the external border of the municipality of Peccioli, passing through some neighboring municipalities and hitting the settlements of La Rosa, La Sterza, Molino d’Era, Il Castagno, San Vivaldo, Castelfalfi and Forcoli. The route mainly develops on roads with little traffic, following the contours of gently sloping hills and featuring wonderful views of the Tuscan countryside. The maximum height difference of 385m is achieved in the stretch between Molino d’Era and Il Castagno, in a distance of 11Km which makes it easy to bike.

Distances and altitude differences

Total distance: 66km

Altitude difference: 444m

Roads: paved

StepDifference in Alt. (mt.)Altitude (mt. asl)Partial dist. (Km)Total distance (Km)
Peccioli – Portavaldera – Partenza04600
La Rosa12582,82,8
La Sterza22805,38,1
SR 439dir-4764,812,9
Molino d’Era291056,919,8
Il Castagno38549011,531,3
San Vivaldo-804105,336,6
Castelfalfi-1502604,741,3
Forcoli-2105018,259,5
Peccioli – Portavaldera – Arrivo-4466,966,4

MAPS