San Miniato is a town and commune in the province of Pisa, in the region of Tuscany, Italy.

Comune di San Miniato

Municipal coat of arms

Country ItalyRegion TuscanyProvince Pisa (PI)Elevation 140 m (459 ft)Area 102 km² (39.4 sq mi)Population - Total 26,353 - Density 258/km² (668/sq mi)

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San Miniato lies in the heart of Tuscany about 40 km from Florence, Pisa, Lucca and Pistoia and a little further from Volterra, Siena, S. Gimignano and Livorno. The northern border of the territory of San Miniato is the river Arno. This wide plain is heavily urbanized and near the modern residential towns, there are industries and workshops, operating mainly in the field of leather tanning. The vast area of the Valdegola, south of San Miniato, represents two thirds of the territory and is a “green lung” with ancient agricultural traditions. The landscape is enchanting, with monumental tobacco mills, now in a state of abandonment, old boroughs, ancient churches, Medicean villas and ancient castles. The historic centre still has the features of a medieval borough with the oldest part at the centre, consisting of the Cathedral, the Episcopal Palace, the Imperial Palace and the Fort. Some of the most important monuments containing several paintings and other works of art are: the Monastery and Conservatory of Santa Chiara, Grifoni Palace, the Church of Saint Jacopo and Sainte Lucia (early 14th century) with the annexed Convent of Saint Domenico, the Episcopal Palace and the Imperial Palace (originally built towards the 12th century), the Cathedral (built in the 12thcentury), the Tower of Frederick II, also known as the Fort (built in the 13th century), “Piazza and Palazzo del Seminario” (17th century), the Sanctuary of the Most Holy Crucifix(built by the architect Ferri at the beginning of the 18th century), the Town Hall with the Council Hall, completely frescoed (erected in the early 14th century), the Oratory of the Loretino, the monumental Convent of Saint Francis (12th century), “Piazza Bonaparte” with its characteristic palazzos and the Church of Saint Catherine in “Piazza XX Settembre” (14th century).

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San Miniato is a land of Etruscan and then Roman settlements( as it is witnessed by the excavations of a necropolis from the 3rd century BC) and a Roman villa. The centre of the town dates back to the 8th century, when, seventeen Lombards built a church dedicated to the martyr Miniato. The town therefore has Germanic origins, and in the Middle Ages it became known as San Miniato al Tedesco. Over the next five centuries, San Miniato grew as a medieval fortress. In 962 Otto I of Saxony made it one of the centres of imperial administration, and in 1218 Frederick II of Swabia built his castle here. Later San Miniato became a free Commune. Great monasteries, schools, institutions and hospitals were built during this period. At the end of the 14th century San Miniato had to submit to the Florentine domination. Mary Magdalen of Austria, the German wife of Cosimo dei Medici, favoured San Miniato, making it into a bishop’s seat in 1622. The town grew greatly in the next century. Thanks to the diocesan see, San Miniato was enriched with the “Sanctuary of the Most Holy Crucifix” and the Seminary. The cultural life was fertile and academies for culture and study such as the “Accademia degli Euteleti” were created. At the end of the 19th century, San Miniato had become a town in its own right. During the Second World War the German army mined and destroyed the fortress of Frederick II and part of the medieval district. But it was soon rebuilt. In 1957 the fortress was rebuilt to indicate the rebirth of the town.

The museum system consists of a network of exhibition centres.

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The Conservatory of Santa Chiara, founded in the 13thcentury, contains important works of art among which paintings by Ludovico Cardi, known as “il Cigoli”, and the cross by Deodato Orlandi (1301). The Accademia degli Euteleti in Palazzo Migliorati was founded in the 17thcentury as an academy for science and the arts. It contains a precious library, the funeral mask of Napoleon Bonaparte and memories of the Bonaparte family from San Miniato. The 13thcentury the Oratory of the Loretino hosts a precious altar made by Francesco Lanfranchi in 1527 and beautiful frescoes from the end of the 15thcentury. The “Museo Diocesano” contains 14th- century paintings and a bust of the Redeemer made in the workshop of Verrocchio. Via Angelica comprises three chapels with 18th-century decorations and 14th-century frescoes. The small Museo Archeologico, in the complex of St. Domenico, contains the most significant testimonies of the excavations carried out in the areas of Fontevivo and San Genesio. The “Rocca” is the last remaining part of the fortress built by Frederick II of Swabia. It was the central core of the imperial defensive system.

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The ancient monastery of Santa Chiara was founded in 1226 and a community of Clares stayed there till 1785, when the monastery was transformed into a “Conservatory” for the education of girls. Later, after the unification of Italy, the institute passed to the Ministry of Education and it is still a school premises. The original nucleus of the building is arranged around a cloister with arcades and also comprises a chapel dedicated to Mary Magdalene. The Convent contains an important collection of works of art.

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This palace was built by Giuliano of Baccio d’Agnolo for Ugolino Grifoni, great master of Altopascio and secretary of the grand Duke Cosimo I. It was finished in 1555. During the Second World War it was destroyed but today it is completely restored. It is now the premises of the “Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di San Miniato”.

Via Angelica is one of the most ancient connecting routes between the heart of the town and the countryside. Three chapels open onto it, among which the Oratory of Saint Urban is particularly interesting. Underneath there are17th-century decorations, showing scenes from the Way of the Cross,remarkable fragments of former frescoes (second half of the 12th century) and a rare picture of Saint Urban Pope holding the image of Saint Paul and Saint Peter.

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Between 1440 and 1500, in the square where the Palace of Seminary is located today, there were houses and shops leaned at the chatelains wall. In 1650 the bishop Angiolo Pichi built a small building for the daily lessons of twelve clergymen in this square. In 1682 his successor, the bishop Cortigiani, bought other houses and enlarged the Seminary. The building was inaugurated in 1713.

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The Cathedral is dedicated to both Sainte Assunta and Saint Genesio. It was originally a Romanesque building, but it has been remodelled several times and exhibits Gothic and some Renaissance architectural elements. The façade incorporates a number of colourful majolica bowls. The interior has Latin cross plan with a central nave with two side aisles. The Cathedral’s Bell Tower, an annexed fortification, is called the “Matilde Tower” and features an asymmetrical clock.

The tower of Frederick II, thus named in honour of the Emperor who ordered it to be built between 1217 and 1223, stands at the top of the hill. Frederick’s chancellor, Pier delle Vigne, was imprisoned here for treason until his death. From the summit of the tower it is possible to see the entire area of the lower Valdarno as far as the hills of Volterra, the Apennines and the sea. On the evening of 23 July 1944, during the Second World War, the tower was destroyed by the German Army to prevent the Allies

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from using it as a gun sighting tower. The tower which you can see now was rebuilt in 1958 by Renato Baldi and the engineer Emilio Brizzi.

The Oratory of the Loretino, built at the end of the 13th century inside the Town Hall as the private chapel of the governors, became an important site of worship for the people of San Miniato in the 14th century when it came to house the wooden image of the most holy Crucifix. The oratory contains paintings and frescoes by Francesco Lanfranchi, called “Spillo”, a magnificent altar made of carved and gilded wood and a wooden statue of the Madonna of Loreto which gives the chapel its present name. The walls

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are decorated with 15th-century frescoes illustrating episodes from the life of Christ such as the “Nativity”, “The Adoration of the Magi”, “The Last Supper” and “the Flagellation”.

The Town Hall dates back to the 14th century. It is situated in front of the Sanctuary of the Most Holy Crucifix. The “Sala del Consiglio” contains frescoes by Francesco di Ser Cenni.

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This Church was built in 1718.The interior of the church has a Greek cross plan. There are frescoes by Antonio Domenico Barberini. On the main altar there is a tabernacle which contains the famous Holy Crucifix.The legend says that the simulacrum was brought to San Miniato by two mysterious travellers who left it in the house of a poor widow shout up in a casket which emanated an “arcane” light at night.

In 1211 some noble” people of San Maniato" invited San Francis to stay in the town, he was a guest in the nearby Santa Gonda farm and they gave him a place to worship and a place for his followers to stay. The building was enlarged immediately with the help of friar Elia, an architect of the friary of Assisi. In 1276 the construction of the new church began and in

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1343 some places for the use of the convent and sacristy were added. Inside it there are two cloisters: the "father's cloister" was built during the 16thcentury, while the "novice's cloister" was built during the 18thcentury.

The white truffle of San Miniato Hills, the Tuber Magnatum Pico (its scientific name),has been treasure for the truffle hunters from San Miniato for more than a century. Every year, in the month of November, the

Mostra Nazionale del Tartufo Bianco is held in San Miniato. It is a market that attracts thousands of Italian and foreign visitors. The white truffle of San Miniato is served in the best restaurants in the world and it is very expensive also because it is found in moderate quantities in a particular period of the year. The value of the white truffle of San Miniato lies in the fact

that truffles are found by organised family groups, the so-called “Tartufai delle Colline San Miniatesi”. These families have their own secrets handed down through generations, their truffle dogs and their hidden paths. There are more than 400 gatherers in the Egola, Elsa and Era Valleys, all tributaries of the Arno river. These families have their own secrets handed down through generations, their truffle dogs and their hidden paths.

RECIPE:Risotto with truffles…

Peel and finely slice the onion. Cook it Ingredients:in a little olive oil in an earthenware -400g rice type “Arborio” pan until tender. Add the rice and or “Carnaroli”sauté for a few minutes before sprinkling - 1 white trufflein with the wine. When the wine has - 1 l of stock evaporated, gradually add the boiling - 60g butterstock and continue to cook. - 50g grated parmesanIn the meantime, brush the truffle - 1 glass sparkling white well. Cut part of it into very thin flakes winewith a truffle-cutter and grate the rest. - 1 onion

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When the rice is nearly done, add the parmesan, the grated truffle and the soft butter and mix well. Remove the pan from the heat and cover it with a cloth. Leave to rest for a few minutes. Serve with a sprinkling of flaked truffle and additional grated parmesan

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The “Città Slow” (slow town)Association has recently come to life in San Miniato. But San Miniato is also a “Città dei Sapori”( the town of flavours) and it is famous for its wines, extra virgin olive oil , pork products, and many other products from the surrounding countryside. With these raw materials, skilled artisans of taste create high quality typical products which have become the basis of the Slow Food Association.

Theatre, shows and San Miniato are closely linked, perhaps ever since the people of San Miniato chose San Genesio, an actor, to be their patron saint many centuries ago. In 1947 the Istituto del Dramma Popolare( the Institute of the popular Drama) was established, which puts on an open-air performance of an original religious drama in San Miniato every year. This show attracts the most important international dramatists and the most famous Italian directors and actors. For more than ten years San Miniato has hosted “Prima del Teatro”, the European School for actors that brings together the best masters and young talents in Europe in

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June and July. The town has also held on “La Luna è azzurra”,an international puppet festival, for more than twenty years.

The town of San Miniato offers visitors the possibility to stay in hotels or historic Palazzos. There are lots of numerous farmhouses or farm holiday houses immersed in the beautiful countryside. Furthermore visitors can easily reach all the cities of art in Tuscany

from this area, thanks to its central position and good road and railway network.

The area of Ponte a Egola, in the municipality of San Miniato, is the location of one of the most famous national tanning and leather manufacturing districts. In the second half of the 19th century there were already four tanneries with about 65 employees. The 1950s and 1960s saw the boom in the sector and today thanks to the skills and hard work of its people,

Ponte a Egola is one of the most important tanning districts in the world, producing 85% of Italian leather, branded “Vero Cuoio Italiano” (Real Italian Leather), and of leathers worked with vegetable products with the brand “Mani Toscane”. About one hundred companies, which employ more than one thousand people, offer the national and foreign markets products of the highest quality for shoes, leather goods, fashion and furniture. Innovation, technological development, and constant attention to the environment led

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Ponte a Egola to build a centralized conditioner system in 1980, one of the first and most efficient in Italy.

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