Today I’m visiting a very popular destination located between Florence and Siena – Certaldo Alto. Certaldo is a lovely, small medieval town nicely positioned in the heart of Tuscany, south-west of Florence and just 40 minutes away from Siena. It’s a home town of the 14th century Italian writer Giovanni Boccaccio and has Etruscan and Roman origins.
The town holds a few festivals a year, the most famous and picturesque one is Mercantia a one week-long International street theater artists event. Check it here { 2014 edition starts on the 16th of July }.[Tweet ” Certaldo is still a very unspoilt hilltop town”] and very well-preserved in every detail, the town is divided into an upper part – Certaldo Alto, medieval and very picturesque and a modern part situated in the valley below.
Certaldo Town Hall is located in the famous Pretorian Palace or Vicar’s quarters in the old part of town – Certaldo Alto and hosts more than 200 weddings each year.
The Palace used to be the residence of the Alberti Counts before it was modified to become the residence of the Florentine governors. The Pretorian Palace facade is decorated with ceramic coats of arms and in the interior are various frescoes dating from the 13th to the 16th century. On the facade and inside are terracotta and marble emblems each of them showing the arms of the family of each Vicar who has governed and lived here. Quite a sight!
The Town Hall of Certaldo offers two options for a wedding ceremony:
1) An indoor courtyard with an open roof
2) A former church of Santi Tommaso e Prospero beside the Palazzo Pretorio
The Church houses the most important work, The Tabernacle of the Executed (c.1464/65), a fresco by Benozzo Gozzoli and by his assistants, including Giusto d’Andrea. The tabernacle originally stood outside the town, near the bridge over the river Agliena. The fresco damaged by exposure were detached in 1957, transferred to canvas, and moved to the former church of Santi Tommaso e Prospero (next to the Palazzo Pretorio). They date from the mid 14 -16 century.
Romantic wedding ceremony in a postcard-perfect Tuscan location? Consider the town hall of Certaldo Alto! Check this post to learn more about lovely city halls in Tuscany for your future Italian destination wedding. Ciao for now!
Natalia
Pretorian Palace or Vicar’s quarters in Certaldo – for your wedding in Tuscany
