Surroundings
Tenuta Cantagallo is located in the heart of Montalbano, an area famous for its rounded hills and for its lush woods, that represents an oasis of green in that part of Tuscany that extends from Florence toward the sea. The whole area, covering over 16,000 acres among the counties of Florence, Prato and Pistoia, is protected by regional laws for the environment and includes, beyond Vinci and Carmignano, Capraia, where our Fattoria is located.
Capraia, ancient medioeval village, is located on top of a rock directly facing the Arno river. The castle overlooks the village that is a-maze of narrow streets that were easily defendable during attacks.
It borders with the three counties of Montelupo, Vinci and Carmignano. From it's favorable location in the earth of Tuscany, it's easy to reach all major touristics sites. It's only 25 km. from Florence, 50 km. Pisa and Siena, 60 km. from Lucca and 70 km. from Livorno.
Vineyards and olive trees are intersperced, like in Renaissance paintings, among streams of flowers fields creating, in spring and summer, a colorful and scented landscape. This landscape has been obtained by the hard work of man over many centuries. Montalbano is renowned for its wine production ever since the edict of Cosimo de' Medici in 1716.
The first hints of human presence in the Montalbano date back to over 1500 years ago. The central location of the Montalbano has, over the centuries, given strategic importance to this area. Many clashes occurred in this area in the Middle Ages until, in the 16th century, the Medici family allocated 10000 acres to create the "Barco reale", a wide hunting reserve. A great inventor of the past, Leonardo da Vinci, was born in the Montalbano area.
Montalbano is an area rich of handicraft tradition that evolved in the Middle ages and so still alive today thanks to local masters: in Montelupo and Capraia we have production of ceramics and terracotta, in Empoli we have production of green glass while in Vinci you may find hand-wrought iron and embroidery. Back in the Middle Ages many crafts, which are now in extinction, were developed in this area: "flask lady artisans" ("fiascaie") and "straw weavers" ("trecciaiole") have a production of straw hats and baskets with handles for olive and grape harvesting.
IMontalbano offers tourist all options from visits to historical sites to visits to small villages where culinary traditions have remained layed over time. For nature loving tourists, the area offers a wide network of routes to be covered on foot, with mountain bikes or horses.
