Montescudaio
Member of I Borghi più belli d'Italia
The counts of Montescudaio, a branch of the Della Gherardesca, held this castle above the Cecina valley and rebelled more than once against Pisa, until the villagers formed their own commune and pushed them out. Earthquakes in 1846 and 1871 took the castle's oldest houses, but a civic tower still marks its entrance, and the Guardiola, the old lookout tower, is now a viewpoint.
Highlights
- Santa Maria Assunta, rebuilt after 1846 in a scenic spot in the castle
- Torre Civica, 12th century at its base, at the castle entrance
- The Guardiola lookout tower, now a belvedere
- Excavated remains of the Badia di Santa Maria, a Benedictine nunnery
- Palazzo Surbone, where Grand Duke Leopold II stayed after the 1846 earthquake
Text adapted from Wikipedia (Montescudaio (IT), Montescudaio (EN)). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Population: 2,144
Things to see
Events through the year
- Feast of the Assumption
Dates follow the traditional patterns in our sources: check locally before you travel.
Adapted from Wikipedia (Montescudaio). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Specialities of Tuscany
Typical of the region rather than of this village.
- PanzanellaDish
- PiciBread and pasta
Lardo di ColonnataPublic domainLardo di Colonnata (IT)Cured meat- FinocchionaCured meat
Adapted from Wikipedia (Tuscan cuisine, Cucina toscana). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to sleep
15 places to stay within 3 km
- B&Bs and guest houses 11
- Hotels 3
- Campsites 1
Data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Thermal baths nearby
- Thermal spa: Piscina termale calidario · ~47 min by car
- Hot spring: Mofeta dei Borboi · ~49 min by car
- Hot spring: Pozzo Landa · ~51 min by car
- Hot spring: Terme di Casciana · ~59 min by car
- Hot spring: Sorgente il Palagio · ~1 h 04 by car
- Thermal spa: Terme di Gambassi · ~1 h 12 by car
Data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Nearby member villages
- Casale Marittimo · 4.2 km
- Suvereto · 28 km
- Campiglia Marittima · 30 km
- Montaione · 33 km
- Populonia · 40 km