Radicofani

Orange Flag of the Italian Touring Club

Halfway between Florence and Rome, dominating the Orcia and Paglia valleys, crossed by the Via Francigena, Radicofani stands on a rocky cliff.

In ancient times it consisted of four villages, one of which was of Etruscan-Roman origin called Viclanus. The history of the village is linked to the via Francigena. At the end of the 1200s it became the outpost of the famous bandit-gentleman Ghino di Tacco, remembered by Boccaccio and Dante, while in 1255 it had as many as six hospitals for pilgrims.

Radicofani has kept its medieval character intact, with the fortress dominating the main village whose main road is the Via Francigena. To visit the churches of S. Agata  and San Pietro Apostolo, the  Romantic-esoteric Garden "Bosco Isabella",  the "Osteria Grossa", which functioned as a Post and Customs Station, from the end of the 1500s to the end of the 1800s.   Not to be missed also the oratory of S. Maria Assunta, the Palazzo Pretorio and the Palazzo Luchini, the church of Madonna del Rocchetto  and the ancient Jewish Quarter.

Not far away there is also the hamlet of Contignano where it is worth stopping, due to its medieval character and several attractions of interest.