Agriturismo Villa Buieri

The excellent location of the Villa Buieri Farm Holiday is easily reached by public transport. Public transport encourages the daily tourist movement towards Tuscan cities of interest (Pisa, Lucca, Siena, Florence, etc) but also provides a starting point for cultural routes, naturalistic and gastronomic discovery of the Val Graziosa Territory. Below, is a brief history of Calci and some suggestions for routes to be done on foot, by bicycle or on horseback to learn more about the typical countryside of Calci.


History of Calci

Calci is situated on the slopes of the “Pisan Mountains” (Monte Pisano), in front of the coastal plains of Pisa and is characterized by small villages (borghi) that extend along the two valleys, that of Calci and that of Montemagno. Both valleys follow the course respectively of two large mountain streams- the Zambra of Castelmaggiore, and the Zambra of Montemagno. From medieval times, water from the mountain streams was piped to a walled canal called “Aldio” that allowed for the development of mills and oil mills, worked by large water wheels. The cultivation of wool and olives developed, plus the gathering of myrto or “mortella” which once soaked, was used for tanning leather. The first mention of a mill in Calci dates back to 1057. Medieval Calci, followed the destiny of the “Repubblica Pisana” by furnishing wood for construction of its ships. Other than churches and monasteries, there were castles and towers that made Calci a strategical point. Notwithstanding, Calci fell with Pisa under the domination of Florence in 1406. Independence was regained in 1431, 1494-1509. At the end of the Florentine Republic in 1530, Calci and the Pisan Republic were included together with Florence in the “Granducato di Toscana”. In 1776 Calci was again joined to Pisa, from which it had been separated and united to Vicopisano. In the mid-XIX century in the valley there were 124 mills and 34 oil mills. In 1867 Calci became an independent municipal, and in 1884 Montemagno became part of it. The first sign of a decline in the activity of the mills was felt with the introduction of taxes. The concurrent forces of other mills that operated with methods more industrial, and the arrival of electrical energy in 1914, added to the decline. In 1887 a railway connected Calci to Pisa and Navacchio, but even so, the economic crisis was not halted and increased with the two world wars. In time, the majority of the mills were dismantled and converted to civil habitations. Only the leather business prospered and it was here that the well known leather coin purse was invented in the form of a horseshoe.
Parish Church of Calci (Pieve di Calci)
The Parish Church was founded at the end of the XI century. The front of the church is made up by a “fronton” in correspondence with the central aisle and two different sloping roofs. It is made of sandstone (brown colour), slate (grey colour) and white marble.
Charterhouse of Calci (La Certosa di Calci)
Founded in 1366, from when the Calci Valley became “Graziosa”, or in other words, full of divine grace. The monks stayed until 1973. After, the Charterhouse was transformed into the Artistic-History Museum. Today one can visit parts of the structure where the certosini lived.
Hours:
Sunday and holidays 8. 30 a. m. to 12. 30 p. m.
Others days 8. 30 a. m. to 18. 30 p. m. - Guided tours every hour
Always closed Monday, Christmas, first of January, first of May
Info: (+39) 050. 93. 84. 30
The Museum of Natural History and Territory
Here it is possible to admire 150 naturalized animals, between which four extinct, and also reptiles and amphibians. The prehistoric section includes more than a hundred thousand pieces of which only a part can be seen. A mineralogical collection of 16. 000 pieces, and 63. 000 zoological examples. The cetacean gallery is the most important in Europe with 50 skeletons.
Info: (+39) 050. 22. 12. 970 - www. msn. unipi. it
Saint Bartolomeo at Tre Colli
The parish Church is in the antique pisan-romanic style. The face is of stone. Above the door is a double lance window and the glass was made with the donations of local people, the “Horsemen of Malta” (Cavalieri di Malta) and the Queen Elena of Savoia.