There is something appropriate in the fact that the birthplace of Giovanni Boccaccio - the man who wrote a hundred tales about wit, desire and life - is a place still alive, not frozen in a museum. Certaldo Alto, built in red brick on a hilltop, has the character of a city that has lived intensely and bears the marks of that history without shame.
Visiting Certaldo with the Decameron in mind adds a layer of meaning to every alleyway. The village is still alive, not frozen - and that is what makes it different from all the others.
Certaldo and Boccaccio: a bond that has lasted 700 years
Giovanni Boccaccio was probably born in Certaldo in 1313 - there is a historical debate about the actual birthplace, with some scholars proposing Paris - and certainly died here in 1375. The Decameron, his major work, was probably written between 1349 and 1353, in the months following the Great Pestilence.
The Decameron tells of ten young Florentines who take refuge in a villa outside the city during the plague of 1348 and, to pass the time, tell tales to one another for ten days - hence the title (deka = ten, hemeron = days, in Greek). The hundred tales that result are an extraordinary fresco of medieval Italian society, with all its vices, virtues and irony.
Boccaccio’s connection to Certaldo is not just biographical: the village appears in the tales, the surrounding countryside inspired many settings. Visiting Certaldo with the Decameron in mind adds a layer of meaning to every alleyway.
Certaldo Alto: the medieval village in red brick
Certaldo Alta is the upper part of the town, reachable from the lower part (Certaldo Basso) by a funicular - the Taboga - or on foot along the road that climbs from the main square.
The village is built almost entirely in red clay brick, which gives it a uniform, warm colour very different from the grey sandstone villages of the Val d’Elsa. This chromatic uniformity is one of its most distinctive features: when you arrive at the village, red dominates everything.
The main streets are Via Boccaccio and Via Rivellino. Medieval and Renaissance palaces succeed one another in compact fashion; there are very few modern intrusions. The medieval castle dominates the highest part of the village, with brick towers and walls.
Certaldo Alta is small: it takes less than an hour to walk through it entirely. But it is a dense hour.
The house of Boccaccio: history and visit
The Casa del Boccaccio, in Via Boccaccio, is identified as the place where the writer lived during his years in Certaldo. It was partially destroyed during the Second World War and rebuilt in 1947.
Today it is a house-museum telling the life and work of Boccaccio: manuscripts (or reproductions), historic editions of the Decameron, biographical documents. It is not an imposing museum, but it is carefully curated and tells an important cultural story.
The visit also includes the “Biblioteca Boccacciana”, a collection of editions of the Decameron and critical works on the author - one of the most complete collections in Italy.
The Palazzo Pretorio: the gonfaloni of the contrade
The Palazzo Pretorio of Certaldo Alto, also called the Palazzo Vicariale, is the medieval government palace. Its façade is decorated with coats of arms and gonfaloni of noble families and officials who governed Certaldo over the centuries.
The interior preserves frescoes from the 14th and 15th centuries of good quality, and a chapel with frescoes by Pier Francesco Fiorentino. It is one of Tuscany’s least-known monuments, but it has an authentic character that makes it worth visiting.
How to get there from Poggibonsi: 15 km
From Hotel Alcide in Poggibonsi, Certaldo is 15 kilometres away, about 20 minutes by car heading north-west along the SS429.
Alternatively, the train from Poggibonsi station to Certaldo takes about 15-20 minutes and runs every hour. It is one of the most convenient connections in the valley.
Parking is in Certaldo Bassa, from where you take the funicular or walk up the hill.
The Mercantia: the July medieval festival
Every year in July, Certaldo Alta hosts the Mercantia, Città di Strada - an international festival of street theatre and performing arts that transforms the medieval village into an open-air stage.
Acrobats, clowns, musicians and performers from all over the world animate the alleys, squares and rooftops of the village for five days. The festival usually runs from Wednesday to Sunday in mid-July.
It is one of the most authentic events of the Tuscan summer: not a local food fair, but a serious cultural festival that uses Certaldo’s medieval context intelligently.
Planning a trip to Tuscany?
Hotel Alcide is in Poggibonsi, in the heart of the Val d’Elsa.
25 km from Siena, 12 from San Gimignano, in the heart of Chianti.
The Ancillotti family has welcomed guests here since 1849.
