On top of the hill there is the medieval borough of Lucardo. The hill was already in ancient times used by the Etruscans. Later from the 8th century on the castle was built, besieged, destroyed and rebuilt. The current walls are late medieval and completely kept. The borough is currently being restored. Next to the borough there is a little church with a majolica baptismal font.
You can find Lucardo between Florence and Siena, in the middle of Tuscany. Florence, Firenze in Italian, is known for artists like Brunelleschi and Michelangelo in the times it was reigned by the Medici; it’s only 32 km away. Much smaller, but also very famous is San Gimignano with its 13 towers, that’s 24 km away. Even more nearby at 10 km is Certaldo where the medieval poet Boccaccio has been born and also died. It is situated high on a hill, has a magnificent town hall and a ditto museum.
Nearby you will find Tavarnelle with its shops, a large COOP supermarket and its lovely small restaurants. In Fiano, at one and a half chilometer from Lucardo there are the essential things, such as a postoffice and a pharmacy. Then there is Volterra at 48 km, also founded by Etruscans and still breathes the middle Ages. You cannot leave Tuscany without visiting Pisa at 80 km and certainly not only for its tower.
But there is not only culture in Tuscany: the “Casetta” is surrounded by beautiful castles and wine-factories. You can visit them, have a tasting of selected wines and look inside very old wine cellars. Public transit you will find in Certaldo where you can take the train to Firenze, Siena and Pisa. Tavarnelle has good bus connections, as well as Montespertoli. The “Casetta” is a unique place to stay because of its high and central position, on which you will think back wistfully when you have left it, but where you for sure will want to return.