The volcanic mountain Amiata is a spectacular balcony facing natural beauties of the southern Tuscany. Around the foot of the 
mountain there are a number of small villages offering interesting and off the beaten track places to discover. These include Santa Fiora which is said to be the jewel of art and culture of this area as well as the most genuine and intimate part of Tuscany. Mentioned by Dante as an “impregnable castle” Santa Fiora represents a fascinating mixture of separateness and artistic sophistication. This medieval town is a must for art-lovers as of all the villages surrounding mountain Amiata, Santa Fiora preserves the most beautiful pieces of art.The first documents that tell about Santa Fiora date back to 9th century. Santa Fiora became a center of primary importance during the 13th century as the family headquarters of the Aldobrandeschi counts and one of the main Tuscany Ghibelline centers. Starting from the second half of the 14th century, the Santa Fiora County, however, witnessed an irreversible process of decadence and territorial disintegration which Dante describes in 6th song of the Purgatory: “and you will see how dark Santafiora is”. When by the 15th century the county, territorially reduced and economically exhausted, seemed to be destined to become part of the Siena Republic, Cecilia, the last heiress of the Aldobrandeschi family, married Bosio Sforza and gave birth to the new so called “Amiata Sforza” dynasty.The center of the town developed from the remains of the Aldobrandeschi castle and comprises the imposing Sforza-Cesarini Palace built in 1575 over the castle, two medieval towers of which can be still seen, the Town Hall with the Clock Tower and the beautiful Romanesque church of Sts. Flore and Lucille, which holds an impressive variety of magnificent terracottas by famous Italian artist Andrea della Robbia dating back to the 15th century. Sforza-Cesarini PalaceThe palace was the Seat of the noble family Sforza. Nowadays it houses the Town Hall and faces Piazza Garibaldi which is the most important square of the town, where all the celebrations and cultural events take placeRecently a series of frescoes of the 16th century were discovered inside the palace. The church Sts. Flore and Lucille (Pieve delle Sante Flora e Lucilla) has got a nave and two aisles, forming a Roman cross. The nave and the aisles are separated with the help of the arches with composite pilasters, dividing the nave into two square bays. The walls, altar and pulpit are decorated with extraordinary ceramics. The beautiful church was named after two local saints whose relics, brought here in the 11th century reside in the nearby priest’s house.The Oratory of Our Lady of the Snow (Madonna delle Nevi) should not be missed. The Oratory impresses visitors with its bas-relief depicting Sts. Flore and Lucille. On the other hand the church St. Augustine (Chiesa Sant’Agostino) possesses a fine painted image of the Madonna and Child attributed to Jacopo della Quercia. Nei pressi della frazione Selva, si trova il , fondato dagli Aldobrandeschi per contrastare il potere dell’Abbazia di San Salvatore. The Convent of the Holy Trinity (Convento della Santissima Trinità) was founded by the family Aldobrandeschi in order to contrast the influence and the power of the Abbey of San Salvatore in this area. Secondo quanto narra una leggenda popolare, questo Convento fu costruito per ricordare il luogo in cui il conte Guido Sforza uccise un drago che terrorizzava gli abitanti.The legend puts it that the Convent was built to glorify the place where Count Guido Sforza killed a dragon that had terrified for the long period of time the citizens of Santa Fiora. Secondo la leggenda, la testa del drago fu divisa in due parti; una fu spedita al Papa e l’altra rimase nel Convento. The head of the dragon was divided into two parts, one was sent to the Pope and the other remained in the convent. That is why be prepared to see Attualmente è possibile vedere, all’interno dell’edificio, la metà del cranio di un rettile conservato in un’urna. as you enter the church the skull of a reptile kept in an urn. After a long day of sightseeing La Peschiera is an excellent place to have a rest. An elegant and antique garden of the Counts Sforza boasts a great variety of trees like cypress, oak, chestnuts and a fishpond decorated with the sculpture of two dolphins. Here the springs of the river Fiora run into a beautiful 18th century pond full with trout.In Santa Fiora modern technologies rub shoulders with old traditions. This is a reality at the Museum of Mercury Mines where wireless connection is already active. Visitors wander around the rooms of the museum, carrying a Pc-pocket that can integrate material on display in the exhibition areas with film clips. Thanks to the hand-held device, tourists can walk from one room to another in the museum and follow the history of “vermillion” mines from which mercury was once extracted, listening to interviews with ex miners and consulting filmed documents on different aspects of life in the mines within their economic and social context. The museum building itself is a fine piece of industrial architecture, a 19th century stone construction with a quaint tower and three rows of arched windows.Comments made by Vakula Olga
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