Sant'Ansano between Pieve, Art and Tuscan Trails
Accommodation in Sant'Ansano
Sant'Ansano is a place where sacred art, Romanesque architectural history and a trekking route along ancient paths come together. For you, this creates a destination with two clearly recognizable sides: the Pieve di San Giovanni Battista in Sant’Ansano in Greti leads deep into history, while the Cammino di Santo Sano directs your gaze towards paths and typically Tuscan landscapes.
File:Vinci - Cimitero di Sant'Ansano - 2023-12-23 19-09-02 002.jpg
Photo: Carnby via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Pieve di San Giovanni Battista in Sant’Ansano in Greti
The Pieve di San Giovanni Battista in Sant’Ansano in Greti is first mentioned in a document issued by Emperor Otto III in 998. Its furnishings combine different periods and religious themes. The Pieve houses a 14th-century tempera altarpiece from the Giottesque school depicting Sant’Ansano and angels. It also contains a painting from 1625 showing Pope Alexander I being freed from prison by an angel, created by the Sienese painter Rutilio Manetti.
The relics also make the Pieve a special setting for sacred history. It was able to acquire a finger relic of Sant'Ansano. Since 1680, the Pieve di San Giovanni Battista has also preserved the relics of San Bonifacio in an urn in the right aisle. Thus, a single building brings together an early documentary mention, medieval painting, a 17th-century work and the veneration of saints' relics.
Romanesque traces on the exterior wall and capitals
The long side of Sant’Ansano in Greti, visible from the outside, makes it possible to mentally reconstruct the former Romanesque church. The exterior wall consists of squared blocks of worked grey sandstone. Sant’Ansano in Greti also preserves sculpturally decorated capitals, which support the wide arches of the central nave and are regarded as sculptural elements from the 12th century.
The Cammino di Santo Sano
The Cammino di Santo Sano is a trekking route along ancient paths connecting Vinci and Sant’Ansano. The route passes through typically Tuscan landscapes and also includes a reenactment of the historic rite of the city of Vinci, whose time frame extends from 1564 to 2026. This gives you a different way of experiencing the place: the focus is not solely on the individual building, but also on the connection between path, landscape and cultural memory.
Palaces, hills, park and ancient site in the wider region
In the wider regional surroundings of Sant'Ansano are Villa Medicea la Magia, Fiorelli Palace and Palazzo Pretorio; all three are palaces. Also in the wider regional surroundings of Sant'Ansano is Da Bobo All'acciaiolo, an ancient site. The area also includes La Cupola, a peak, and Sasso Regina, a hill. I Fornelli is a hill in the immediate surroundings of Sant'Ansano. Parco delle Cascine di Tavola is a park in the surrounding area. These different landscape and cultural features provide additional guidance when choosing between a stay focused more strongly on art history and one oriented more towards paths and nature.
More destinations in the same area
More destinations in the same area: Pastine, Linari, Vicchio, Tavarnelle Val Di Pesa, Pian De' Cerri, Montefioralle, Palazzuolo Sul Senio, Fiesole.
To the main travel overview: Florence.
