Another medieval gem is the village of Certaldo, an enchanting village famous for being the birthplace of Boccaccio: perched on top of a hill from which it is possible to admire the entire Val d’Elsa, Certaldo is just 40km from Florence and it can be reached from San Gimignano by funicular, a journey that will allow you to immerse yourself in the picturesque bucolic landscape of Tuscany. The village, dating back to the 13th century, seems to have come straight out of an illustrated book, with its fortified walls and its vertiginous towers.
After a trip through the ancient avenues of the town, Boccaccio’s house is also worth a visit, located on top of a tower and transformed into a museum and study center dedicated to the writer, and the museum complex of Palazzo Pretorio, the symbolic place of Certaldo; the church of San Tommaso e Prospero also houses some surprising medieval and Renaissance works by Florentine masters.