Here was born the sublime scalpel
The municipality of Caprese Michelangelo extends in the greenest of the Tiber Valley and is crossed by many rivers. The largest of these, called Singerna, flowing into Lake Montedoglio. The small village is surrounded by forests of beech, oak and chestnut trees and has maintained a timeless atmosphere. The fame of Caprese Michelangelo is inextricably linked to Michelangelo Buonarroti, sculptor and immortal painter, who was born here on 6 March 1475. The town is also known for the events dedicated to the chestnut.
| AREA | Valtiberina |
| TYPE | countrysude town |
| COORDINATES | 43°38′27″N 11°59′09″E |
| ALTITUDE | 653 meters |
| PRODUCTS | chestnut |
| SPORT | hiking, cycling, horseback riding |
| BORDERS | Anghiari, Chitignano, Chiusi della Verna, Pieve Santo Stefano, Subbiano (AR) |
Tourist Informations
Municipality of Caprese Michelangelo
Via Capoluogo, 87 – 52033 Caprese Michelangelo (AR)
Phone: +39 0575 793912
www.capresemichelangelo.net
Pro Loco Caprese Michelangelo
Via Capoluogo, 8
Phone: +39 0575 793760
info@capresemichelangelo.org
www.capresemichelangelo.org
WHAT TO SEE
Churches
Church of Santi Ippolito e Cassiano
Area: Valtiberina
Municipality: Caprese Michelangelo (AR) – loc. San Cassiano in Stratina
Type: church (XII century -XVI)
It was probably built in the early Christian era. In 1118 it was donated to the Camaldolese monastery of Anghiari and in the sixteenth century, was transferred to the Commandery to the Benedictine monks of Florence. The building was significantly renovated in the years 1523-1526. Inside is the glazed terracotta Madonna crowned by two angels between Saints Ippolito and Cassiano (XVI century), attributed to Giovanni Della Robbia.
Monuments and places to visit in Caprese Michelangelo
Caprese fortress
Area: Valtiberina
Type: castle-fortified village (XII-XV century)
The first evidence of the presence of the fortress date back to the eighth century, as a fief of the Guidi. It dates back to 1100 the first enlargement, with the construction of the square tower (still visible) and some other facilities. After the siege of 1324, the victorious army of Arezzo dismantled much of the castle. Between the end of the fourteenth century and the beginning of the fifteenth it was enlarged the walls. In this period it was also built the Palazzo del Podesta.
The Clusini building dates back to the second half of the fifteenth century. In the following centuries the castle lost its importance and, in 1782, a strong earthquake damaged buildings and towers. In 1875 the building was restored properly. The Palazzo del Podesta was the subject of numerous interventions and was created the first nucleus of the Museum of Michelangelo. The outer structure of the castle remained almost intact.
ART AND MUSEUMS
Museums
Michelangelo's house and Michelangiolesco Museum
Area: Valtiberina
Type: castle – museum of art
Address: via Capoluogo, 1 – Caprese Michelangiolo
Phone: +39 0575 793776
email: prolococapresemichelangelo@gmail.com
Website: www.capresemichelangelo.org
The museum is housed in the fortress and occupies three buildings – the Palazzo del Podesta (considered the birthplace of Michelangelo), the Clusini Palace and the High Court surrounded by a garden. They expose the plaster molds of the most famous works by the artist: Battle of the Centaurs, Cupid, Saint John, David’s head, the Risen Christ, Brutus, Rondanini Pietà and others.
The rooms contain a series of photographic reproductions of the paintings made between 1613 and 1620, in the Casa Buonarroti in Florence by the artist’s great-nephew, Michelangelo the Younger. The frescoes depict 23 scenes from the life of the great sculptor-painter. The museum exhibited the triptych Madonna with Saints (XV century) Giuliano Amidei, coming from the abbey of St Martin in Tifi. The museum is enriched with micro-sculptures (bronze, marble, plaster, wax, terracotta) and drawings, works of Italian artists of the XIX-XX century such as Antonio Canova, Umberto Boccioni, Adriano Cecioni, Francesco De Matteis. In Sculpture Garden there are numerous bronze sculptures by artists of the second half of the twentieth century. There are works of Alfredo Battistini, Cecco Bonanotte, Ferruccio Ferrazzi, Jorge González Camarena, Emilio Greek, Marcello Tommasi.
An integral part of the museum is the Library Michelangiolesca, specializing in the history of art and is made up of over 2,000 volumes mostly dedicated to Michelangelo and sculpture of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The rooms on the first floor are decorated with Renaissance furniture. A ground floor is screened a documentary about the Michelangelo’s life.
Museum of Acqua and Mulino (Water and Mill)
Area: Valtiberina
Type : ethnographic museum
Address: Via del Capoluogo, 50
Phone: +39 0575 793776
The museum is dedicated to the hydraulic factories Singerna river. The show was later expanded with objects related to the local milling technique and the rural tradition. Not so long ago was also set up the permanent exhibition “Light, Shape, Color”, sculptures by Vito Piombini with the riverbed stones Singerna river. The sculptor has his studio in the Selvadonica mill, one of the oldest mills in the valley. The museum also includes an educational tour to various mills of the area: Caprese, Colle, Fungaia, Fragaioli, Lama, Bridge, Rovalsa, Selvadonica.
WHAT TO DO
Events
Chestnut Festival
Type: gastronomy
When: second and third weekend of October
The chestnut is the protagonist of the most important in central Italy. The event includes music, street performances, traditional dances, art and photography exhibitions, crafts and ancient crafts, cultural conventions and the traditional competition of the pound of larger chestnuts, the so-called ” gold brown”.
ITINERARIES
Routes
Saint Francis route
| TYPE | historical and natural path (car, bike, horse, trekking) |
| AREA | Valtiberina |
| DEPARTURE | Caprese Michelangelo |
| ARRIVAL | La Verna |
| ATTRACTIONS | Hermitage of Casella, Hermitage of Cerbaiolo, Hermitage of Montecasale, complex of La Verna Sanctuary |
The route is divided into a few places frequented by St. Francis: San Polo, Zenzano and the Hermitage of Casella. The route starts from the town of Caprese and climbs on the surrounding hills penetrating through forests of oak and chestnut trees. From Casella you can also head to the religious complex of La Verna or towards the beautiful meadows on the summit of Mount Faggeto (more than 1,400 meters high). A wider path includes the Sanctuary of La Verna, the Hermitage of Cerbaiolo, the Hermitage of Montecasale and Montauto Castle, all surrounding one another.
CULTURE
History
The area, located between the courses of the Tiber and Arno rivers, was inhabited since the Neolithic period. The two rivers were sacred to both the Etruscans and for the Roman. In the sixth century A.D. the territory was occupied by the Lombards. Around the XI century, the town surrounded by the walls of the castle became part of the properties of Galbino Ranieri. The following years were troubled, because the small village suffered the pressures from other much more powerful feudal lords, such as Romena Guidi counts. Caprese in 1226 came under the protection of Arezzo, but in 1260 the Guidi family took possession.
In 1324 the army of Arezzo, led by the brother of Bishop Guido Tarlati, conquered the town after a hard siege lasted three months. After a brief spell as a free city in 1384, the town was subjected to Florence, who settled a mayor. One of these was Ludovico Buonarroti, Michelangelo’s father. As a result the village followed the events of Florence until the Unification of Italy. In 1913 the name of the town was changed to Caprese Michelangelo, in homage to the famous sculptor and painter Michelangelo, born in this place
Curiosity
Michelangelo Buonarroti was born in Caprese because, being the father of Verna mayor of Chiusi and Caprese, lived alternately, for six months in each of the two locations. Besides being a painter and sculpture, Michelangelo was a poet. In the poems, he explicitly expressed his intimate travail, gray days, the bitterness of solitude in which he lived for most of his existence.
“Unbridled desire is the way, and not love, it kills the soul. Love can make perfect souls here, but more perfect in Heaven”.
GASTRONOMY
Typical Products
The chestnut tree was also known as “tree bread” for the essential role in the diet of mountain people. Still occupies a prominent place in Caprese Michelangelo economy, mainly in the brown variety which obtained the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO).
TOURIST SERVICES
Where to sleep
Hotels
Albergo Buca di Michelangelo
Via Capoluogo, 51 – Caprese Michelangelo (AR)
Tel. +39 0575 793921
www.bucadimichelangelo.it
info@bucadimichelangelo.it
Hotel Cristallo
Località Pratolino, 289 – Caprese Michelangelo (AR)
Tel. +39 0575 793979
Hotel Il Faggeto
Strada Comunale Caprese – località Alpe Faggeta – Caprese Michelangelo (AR)
Tel. +39 0575 793652
Hotel Il Borgo di Faeta
Via Faeta, 109 – Caprese Michelangelo (AR)
Tel. +39 334 2224794
www.ilborgodifaeta.com
info@ilborgodifaeta.com
servizi: sala ristorazione, piscina con idromassaggio, barbecue, mountan-bike, saletta con giochi per bambini, piscina
Hotel L’Ovile
Via Gricigliano, 112 – Caprese Michelangelo (AR)
Tel. +39 0575 793563
www.agriturismoovile.it
info@agriturismoovile.it
Hotel La Casina
Via Manzi, 171 – località Manzi – Caprese Michelangelo (AR)
Tel. +39 0575 791083/ +39 3393131621
www.agriturismolacasina.it
info@agriturismolacasina.it
servizi: ristorante, piscina, servizi per disabili, internet, TV, animali ammessi
Hotel Le Rondini
Località Gregnano – Caprese Michelangelo (AR)
Tel. +39 0575 599155
www.agriturismolerondini.it
info@agriturismolerondini.it
Hotel Priello
Località Priello, 244 – Caprese Michelangelo (AR)
Tel. +39 0575 788103
www.priello.com
bz@priello.com
Hotel Rancoli
Località Rancoli, 262 – Caprese Michelangelo (AR)
Tel. +39 0575 793704
Hotel Selvadonica
Località Selvadonica, 151 – Caprese Michelangelo (AR)
Tel. +39 0575 791051
www.selvadonica.it
info@selvadonica.it
servizi: piscina, giochi, colazione
Hotel Terra di Michelangelo
Via San Polo, 70 – Caprese Michelangelo (AR)
Tel. +39 0575 791055
www.terradimichelangelo.com
agriturismo@terradimichelangelo.com
servizi: piscina, bar, ristorante
Farmhouses
Agriturismo Azienda Agricola Il Mulino del Nanni di Grazi Bruna
Il Mulino – Ca’ del Tasso – località Lama – Caprese Michelangelo (AR)
Tel. +39 0575 733006/ +39 0575 741267/ +39 328 0103049
www.mulinonanni.altervista.org
bruna.grazi@alice.it
Bed and Breakfast
B&B Il Vigno
Località Il Vigno, 262 – Caprese Michelangelo (AR)
Tel. +39 0575 792019
www.agriturismoilvigno.eu
info@agriturismoilvigno.eu
servizi: prima colazione, piscina, wi-fi, mountain bikes, barbecues, TV, cartine per trekking, ludoteca, giochi da tavolo, giochi per bambini, animali ammessi
Holiday houses
Casa vacanze Villa Michelangelo di Toscana
Località Marcena, 197 – Caprese Michelangelo (AR)
Tel. +39 0575 797044/ +39 338 3084285
www.villaditoscana.com
relax@villaditoscana.com
Casa vacanze Borgo Tozzetto
Via Tozzetto, 247 – Caprese Michelangelo (AR)
Tel. +39 0575 793853
info@borgotozzetto.it
Casa vacanze Michelangelo Holidays
Via Colle San Polo, 87 – Caprese Michelangelo (AR)
Tel. +39 0575 791245
www.holidaysintuscany.co.uk
reservations@holidaysintuscany.co.uk
Campeggio
Campeggio Michelangelo
Località Zenzano – Caprese Michelangelo (AR)
Tel. +39 0575 793886
www.campingmichelangelo.com
info@campingmichelangelo.com
Hostels
Ostello Michelangelo
Via Fragaiolo – Caprese Michelangelo (AR)
Tel. +39 0575 792092
Ostello Zenzano
Località Zenzano – Caprese Michelangelo (AR)
Tel. +39 0575 735732
info@studiovichi.eu
