Gello is an hamlet of the community of Palaia, it is in province of Pisa.
HISTORY
The toponym derives from the latin Agellus and the hamlet shows up as a little medieval village, it is situated on the top of a terrain of clay between Palaia, Colleoli and Partino. Gello is mentioned for the first time in the book of the churches of Lucca in 1260, for the presence of a church dedicated to San Lorenzo. In XIII century the hamlet belonged to the vicarage of Montefoscoli.
In 1833 the hamlet counted 191 citizens.
Monuments and place of interest
Church of San Lorenzo is dating back to XIII century and it is remembered thanks to a document of the diocese of Lucca in 1260. It fall back to the parochial territory of San Martino and Palaia. It shows up in Romanesque plain, it was continuously modified during the centuries. Inside of it is situated a Madonna col Bambino of the master of charity, it was transferred a church of Saint Andrea at Palaia.
Montefoscoli is situated on the top of the hill at west there is the rio Tosola and at south il Roglio.
The hamlet is organized to form a long salient suburb. The modern part is at the lower entrance, the ancient entrance is on the top of hillock, where exist the parish church, and where was her stronghold. The unique ruins of the ancient castle is a tower in a garden.
HISTORY
Emanuele Repetti inform us that Montefoscoli was a castle with a parish church, and than it was the administrative center of jurisdiction. In XIX century it was under the jurisdiction of Peccioli, in the community of Palaia, Compartement of Florence.
ORIGIN OF NAME
Nobody wanted to verificate the document mentioned by Tronci in his Annali pisani relatively to the gift of Montefoscoli done in 1101 from the countess Matilde to Foscolo Scarpetta, he is the author of “casa Griffi”; analyst slanted to believe that the castle of Montefoscoli took his name by his feudatory. In others documents Montefoscoli is mentioned and they guaranteed his name with the same name of now.
BETWEEN PISA AND FLORENCE
The Pisan chartet in 1384 put in the hamlet the residence of a judge, appealed Capitan of Val d’Era.
After Montefoscoli was subtracted by the Florentine troops, they controlled it. But it was conquered again by the Pisan troops, they having returned in Val d’Era with their capitan and authority C. Guido.
Downfall of Pisa this castle and others of the same valley they subdued to the Community of Florence, when Carlo VIII arrived in the hamlet in 1494 the citizens rebelled to Florence, they submitted under the obedience of him.
Museum of the Work and rural civilization in San Gervasio is located inside a 1600 restructured house. It houses hundreds of objects like tools, utensils, and agricolture machinery used by Tuscan farmersin the last two centuries.
There is also a big library and its documentation centre, available on application, collects papers from 1800.
Outside there is an ancient windmill and some thresher from the last century.
The museum offers an interesting guided tour with a lot of labooratories for children and students.
Free entry
Museo del Lavoro e della Civiltà Rurale in San Gervasio Address: San Gervasio- Palaia (Pisa) Tel: 0587212077 Email:chiara.menichetti@tin.it
In basements and tunnels there is the Museum of Peasants Culture. The agricultural activity into the properties of Vaccà-Bellinghieri’s family has given the possibility to collect large quantities of utensils which date back to the 16th century.
In the cellar, the mill or other places you can relive the emotions of a simple life, in touch with nature. This is a commemorational museum through material testimoniances of daily objects.
With booking there are guided tours for child and students.
Free entry
Museo della Civiltà Contadina di Montefoscoli Address: Via Andrea Vaccà, 49 – Montefoscoli Tel: 0587299581 Email: valderamusei@unione.valdera.pi.it
At PalazzoVaccà it is possible to visit the house-museum of Vaccà-Berlinghieri’s family, an extraordinary example of 1800-farming families’.
In the beautiful rooms there are objects and furnitures from that period, you can breath the familiar atmosphere of popular persons who helped to make the local history through material testimonies who tell us Bellinghieri’s participation to many events, such as the French Revolution.
Free entry
Casa museo Vaccà-Berlinghieri Address: via Andrea Vaccà, 49 Montefoscoli Tel: 0587299581 Email: valderamusei@unione.valdera.pi.it Opening time: Domenica 9.30-12.30/15.30-19.30
Liquorificio Morelli was born in 1911 in Forcoli (Palaia), from a Cavalier Leonello Morelli’s idea. Leonello was the owner of a small bar, and he had fun at mixing essences and extracts to create liqueurs and infusions.
The liquorificio was an outset from the start; Its products have spread in Italy, becoming synonim of quality and authenticity. From 1911 till nowadays four generations of Morellis have been successive.
In 2012 Morelli’s liqueurs have taken part to internetional contests and after the first success of Grappa Centenario in Bruxelles, other good results came from Arancino Speciale 32°, Grappa 50/50 Barrique, Limoncino Speciale 32° and Crema di Meloncello.
Tour in liquorificio Morelli
Liquorificio invites you to come for a visit.
Morelli’s Antica Grapperia will be told through a guided tour. Some aspects of the history and the passages to the production of grappa will be analized; it will end with a taste of many varieties of Grappa and Brandy. All the tastings will be accompanied by Tuscan products such as meats and cheeses.
It will be possible to make purchases inside the company.
Visits will be available by booking, for groups of maximum 15/20 persons.
Contacts
Address: Via Meucci 2 loc. Montanelli – 56036 Palaia Website:www.liquorimorelli.it Mail: info@liquorimorelli.it Tel: 0039 0587.628707
For bookings: Alexandra Catarsi
alexandra.liquorimorelli@gmail.com
The launch of the Savini family into the world of truffles began in the Twenties, when Giuseppe Savini, married to Luisa Balestri and the father of four, Vittorio, Argantina, Zelindo and Savino, who lived in Balconevisi, a village on the Tuscan hills not far from San Miniato, had a passion for truffle hunting with his faithful dog. A favourable area for growing valuable white truffles (which were not so popular back then), where the local vegetation, climate and expanses of hilly areas, which make the Era Valley one of the greenest and freshest in Tuscany, produces truly excellent truffles! This favoured his passion, since, without having to go too far from home, he could walk through vast woody areas, the so-called Tartufaie (truffle grounds, because of the aforesaid features). As it often happens, especially in the families of those times, such passion was soon handed down to his sons as well who, as they grew, began to go truffle hunting with their father. Maybe the least versed or keen of his sons was Zelindo, who certainly preferred game hunting, not least because he could earn a few more liras to indulge in the habits of a young man of the time. Zelindo would be the one who actually launched our company into the world of truffles. It was the Fifties, and Zelindo, back home after the end of the Second World War, married Leontina Chiti, with whom he had three children, and started to work in the estate of Villa Saletta at Palaia (10 km from San Miniato) as a farmer. With his firm, resolute temper, he soon became his master’s trusted man and was appointed to assist the bailiff in responsible positions and eventually became the estate’s gamekeeper because of his passion and cleverness. As well as monitoring the estate’s game preserve, he was the man in charge of escorting the illustrious guests of the estate, that at that time belonged to the Gambacastelli family, around the woods and find the places where they could hunt the best specimens living in the owner’s preserve.
Game and truffle hunting were the most popular hobbies in the countryside between Florence and Pisa, which taken together did and do make Tuscany a very sought-after and therefore widely visited region. There were plenty of game, oil and wine from the estate at the dinners and lunches set for the guests, but they were also served another fruit of our land, the white truffles! Not so well known, of course, but not unknown to the upper classes who came from Northern Italy, especially from Piedmont or Lombardy, who, after tasting the quality and seeing the plenty of those white truffles, and finding in Zelindo a great help in taking frequent and certain provisions of that delicacy, began to order them from him. The truffles that Zelindo found during the week or that were bought at Savini’s home, during their hunts, by the gentlemen who came to Tuscany or that were shipped by train, even if in fact one of the sons could often be found on those trains, carrying his basket of truffles, not just to deliver them but also to cash the payment straight away! Luciano, the second-born son, was usually the one chosen to go to Piedmont or Milan. It might seem he was simply doing a favour (a well paid one, of course!), but in fact that was just the beginning of our story … …the turning point was when Zelindo, with the proceeds from the sales of truffles, decided to fulfil a dream, replace his old Vespa scooter with a BSA 1000, a big motorbike that is very popular even now, so just figure what a dream bike it must have been back then!
But the hard-earned and much sought-after motorbike, which Zelindo used to ride around the estate of Villa Saletta, was disapproved of by the masters, who called him into their office and ordered him to immediately sell the bike they could not afford themselves. So it happened that, as a sort of truffle dog, he smelled the time had come to change his life, so he decided not just to sell his bike but also to give up his job and start a life as a full-time truffle seller!
He bought a grocery shop-cum-bar at Montanelli, a small village in the municipal area of Palaia, near Forcoli, a place where game and truffle hunters used to meet for breakfast at dawn, for morning snacks and long after-dinner nights. So he became even more familiar with the truffle hunters’ world as he lived in close contact with them from morning to night, and then he could simply sneak off to the back of his shop at the right time to buy and sell truffles, far from prying and curious eyes. Luciano, the second-born son (who at that time was a young pastry cook and a great lover of cooking), who obviously already had a passion for truffles deeply rooted in his genes, probably the Savini family’s distinctive sign, ran the bar with Carla, his wife.
But Luciano’s job was not just taking care of the bar; it was him who went with and assisted Zelindo in his visits to truffle hunters, in his journeys for ‘midway’ negotiations with traders from Piedmont or Milan, as well as helping him in his deliveries or visiting the local restaurants and delis who worked with truffles.
Histories continues …
Many years later, in the early Eighties, the family’s passion and experience had grown so much that even the truffle hunters who haunted the Tuscan countryside began to frequently visit Montanelli’s bar with their bundles or parcels of truffles. In addition, Luciano decided to try and cook the smaller or broken truffles (which would not fetch such a good price) in an old, makeshift kitchen, so as to make the most of his job and prepare those products which could offer a taste of truffle even in the least favourable seasons, and that’s how the first truffle-based sauces, pastes or creams were born.
The result can be summed up in the fact that, after less than one month’s trials and tests, with the customers trying out such products as ’guinea pigs’ (lucky them!), the Savini family bought some property in the village of Forcoli and set up a kitchen to start a real truffle-processing business!
In 1984, they began producing about 3 or 4 truffle-based products bearing their name, while keeping selling fresh truffles, and even today that process goes on with the same methods and the same philosophy, in perfect keeping with the natural features of truffles.
The kitchen, still personally run by Chef Luciano, who still prepares his products without any industrial machinery but just 8 burners, as in the kitchens of the most important restaurants in Italy and abroad. Only Tuscan truffles are used (most of them come from San Miniato, Palaia, Volterra), and no stocks are kept, the products are cooked just after the orders come in (this is easily proven by the fact that the jars bear the day/month/year of production), and the customers are personally taken care of all over the world.
On 24th September, 2006, we came back to our roots, where it all began, the Montanelli bar, which we have turned into our new premises where we carry on with the business started by Zelindo, with an innovative twist, where we can be visited any day during opening hours or, by appointment, during our tasting evenings when we offer the widest range of truffle tasting experiences.
The Liqueur Factory “Morelli” was born in 1911 in Forcoli (Palaia), from an idea of Lord Leonello Morelli, whom was very keen on turning a passion into a real work. Leonello, then owner of a small bar, used to enjoy mixing extracts and essences to create infused liqueurs, which then he used to offer to the customers. That is how he had the idea of creating a liqueur factory, which was founded in 1911. It was an instant success, in a few years Morelli products spread to most of Italy, becoming synonymous with quality and authenticity. From 1911 to our times several Leonellos have taken the lead of the factory: Leonello’s son, Dante, and his nephew Piero, until 2009, when Piero’s sons are firmly working as the 4th generation of Morelli: Luca, Paolo, Marco. They are continuing the family tradition, creating (with their parents) in less than twenty years a company that has, among his customers, very important restaurants, lots of italian wineries, wholesale distributors of prestige and a network of direct representatives well branched throughout Italy.
STRAWBERRIES OF TERRICCIOLA
Among the various excellences of the territory of Terricciola excel for quality strawberries, which at the annual Strawberry Festival , you will find on the stands inside the communal garden revisited and mixed in other dishes, along with the wine (the good one) of local producers, national and international awards winner.
CHERRY OF LARI
The cherry of Lari is a particularity of cherry grown all over the territory of the town of Lari (today a suburb of Casciana Terme Lari ) and in various other locations of the Pisan Hills. They were surveyed 19 different qualities: Gambolungo , Cuore, Siso, Papalina, Del paretaio, Morella del Meini, The Nello, Di Guglielmo, Orlando. Elia, Precoce di Cevoli, Morella, Di Giardino, Marchianella di Lari, Usigliano, Morellona tardiva, Marchiana , Montemagno also calledAngela , Crognola. They produce about 50 tons, equal to 0.03% of national production which is 50% of the Tuscany. In 2002 a committee was created with the aim of obtaining the DOP or IGP. Every year in June, in Lari it occurs the Cherry Festival .
NOZZA DI CALCINAIA
The Nozza is a typical local cake that was used in the areas of Pisa at weddings. The ingredients are: sugar, eggs, anise liqueur, flour and vanilla sugar.
The cake, which is the final touch to the typical local cuisine, is produced by the women of town in “industrial” quantity, to present it to all guests Calcinaia, and obviously to invite make them taste it. The real Nozza is produced in Calcinaia but it looks very similar to the more famous brigidino of Lamporecchio.
POTATO OF SANTA MARIA A MONTE
This potato, also known with the name of “Tosca” in the municipality of Maria a Monte , a traditional production area for the cultivation of this tuber, best expresses its productive traits as it optimally suit to local climatic conditions. The plant has few stems, but very large, light green inflorescences with small white flowers. The tuber is elongated oval of skin, yellow flesh and shallow eyes. This type of potato has a good resistance to cooking, quality that makes it optimal for all types of culinary preparations.
EVENT
Randonnée ARI patent, Randonnée Mountain Bike patent.
INSPIRATION
The event, in line with the directives of ARI, will pursue the following purposes: self-sufficiency, affordability, simplicity, security, contact with nature.
The event was inspired by the slow travelling on nature trails
ORGANIZATION
The ownership of the event is the GSRC Galimberti, with the patronage of the Municipality of Pontedera and the collaboration of G.S. Treggiaia, POL la Perla “Razzi e Mozzi” and Borra Bike with ARI audax randonnée Italy.
The event will adopt the Regulation ARI / MTB.
THE EVENT
DATE
Sunday, August 31st, 2014.
Preliminary checks from 07.00 to 08.00 at the Club Galimberti in Via Galimberti, Pontedera.
Start from 8:00am to 08.10am from GSRC GALIMBERTI.
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE
Cyclists and cycle tourists members with papers in order for the year 2014 ARI, or bodies recognized by CONI UISP; ACSI; CSAIN; ASI; CSI; ENDAS; FITRI, and also free hikers equipped with medical certificate, bike Mountain bike and helmet (mandatory). after filling the release paper ARI.
REGISTRATION
We accept MAX 300 people. The registration fee is € 10.
Entries close automatically when we reach the number of 300 paying cyclists, there is no possibility of pre-registrations.
Registration opens from June 20th, 2014 at the Club Galimberti in Via Galimberti n° 4, Pontedera. – or online via the website www.audaxitalia.it (REGISTRATION)
Registration fee: (10 €) to be paid by bank transfer before you sign up.
Description of payment (“causale”): you have to write “Iscrizione Randonneè della valdera.”
Account name: G.S.R.C Galimberti.
Bank: “Banca di Pisa e Fornacette”.
Bank account details: IBAN – IT37 Z085 6271 1310 0001 0375 939 – SWIFT BIC: BCCFIT33
Registration deadline Sunday August 31st, 7.30am
We recommend the use of RandoCard ARI (cyclist card ARI) to sign up, the preparation of the release of responsibility, which will have to be delivered to the preliminary checks, the validation steps at the start, the control places along path and at the finish.
RACE DOCUMENTS
Road Book route map with street guide (town refreshments and fountains), Paper ARI / MTB / RG as travel validation step in places of control. GPS path track.
THE ROUTE
40 / 70 / 115 km, short, medium and long, as for the ARI / MTB standards.
The “randonnée valdera” will make a great added value to the event, as it allows cyclists to follow paths and roads of GPN and horse trail through hills, woods and streams.
The route is marked as “Randonnée valdera”.
NB: Hikers enrolled arriving at the refreshment / control “LE SERRE” after 13:00pm will not be allowed to continue in the long route.
“We remind that the long path requires a good physical condition.”
Refreshments:
There are 4 food spots on the path next the checkpoints. (Terricciola, Le Serre, Castelfalfi and Legoli) – and a pasta party at the finish.
RECOGNITION
The GSRC Galimberti will distribute to all the cyclists who will get the approval ARI / MTB (40 – 70 – 115 Km) a scroll by the artist Giancarlo Calamai reproducing the logo of the event.
STREETS GUIDE
Roads / dirt roads of Randonneè:
A) PONTEDERA starting 8:00-8:10am from Via Galimberti – towards Ponsacco on the bike path parallel to via roma – underpass in Viale Europa – the street in front of cemeteries – bike path until “La Borra” – path levee Era River.
A) PONSACCO (time 8:15 to 9:15) Trail embankment ERA – via Melegnano – Viale Primo Maggio – via xxv aprile – Via Roma via dei mille – via cesare Battisti – via Era – Roundabout – dirt road to Camugliano.
A) CAPANNOLI (hours 8:45 to 9:45) via Camugliano – dirt road near “Solaia” – via delle pinete – via provinciale 26 – via del Pino – dirt road up to via dei Pontini – via delle case – dirti road via dei monaci – via di badia.
A) TERRICCIOLA (9:15 to 10:30 via di badia – dirt road via taneto – via della cascina – via terricciolese –
Via Bagno “A / R” – (First Food Spot.) dirt road via delle colline.
A). CHIANNI. Dirt road via delle colline – strada provinciale 14 “Miemo” –
A). LAJATICO (10 am – 11.30 am) “Fontanelle” . Dirt road from strada provinciale 14 to strada provinciale 45 – Via Pietro Nenni – unpaved local road via dell’uccelliera “theater of silence” – via Volterra SR 439.
A) PECCIOLI / MONTAIONE (11am – 13:30)
SR 439 – gravel road lake Gattero – municipal road of Montelopio – via di mezzo – Fabbrica – via della chiesa / towards Fabbrica – via delle case nuove – Montecchio – via Aldo Neri – dirt road, via madonna delle serre (2nd Food Spot). – GPN dirt road up to strada della bonifica – via della bonifica – via della bonifica gravel road towards Castelfalfi – dirt road and golf courses. – Castelfalfi (3rd Food Spot) Via SP 26 – via di mezzo / via Poggetta – via di monti – dirt road GPN towards via Libbiano Legoli -.Legoli – (4th Food Spot).
A) PALAIA (12.30 – 15:00) via SP 11 – dirt road up to municipal road Toiano – via Toiano – dirt road collelungo (agliati) until SP36 – Chiecinella – dirt road via della costa towards Marti.
A) MONTOPOLI (13.30 – 16:00)
Via della costa – via fontanelle – via della croce – MARTI – (WATER SPOT) via Mazzana – Varramista – via di ricavo – highway underpass – Castelbosco – dirt road via val di frigoli – via della falce.
A) PONTEDERA (-13 hours – 18) via della falce – municipal road Palaia / La Rotta – via del pietriccio – via di montecastello – cycle path of Braccini lakes – via Enrico de Nicola – cycle lane in Viale Italia – back, through cycle path, in the Era river embankment – arrival via galimberti.
R) FROM TERRICCIOLA (return on short course) – time 10:30 to 11:30 the road of Chianti towards Morrona – Stibbiolo – via dei cipressi – San Pietro Belvedere – via vignoli – via Corsica – provincial road 26 via san rocco – dirt road for Solaia – via Camugliano – Ponsacco – cycle lane on levee Era river – arrival via Galimberti.
R) FROM PECCIOLI (return middle course) (11:00 – 13:30) from madonna delle serre – Municipal road poggio al pino – provincial road 41 – via San Sebastiano – via dei cappuccini – cycle path towards Forcoli – via la bianca – via SP26R, via di santo pietro belvedere – sarzanese valdera – via Baciocchi – Piazza Castello – via san rocco – dirt road under the cemetery towards Camugliano – via Camugliano – via valdera – cycle lane levee Era river – arrival via Galimberti.
A) roads of the long route R) roads of return short and medium course.
Here you can see the video made for the 2014 edition:
The Temple of Minerva Medica is a historic building located on a hill in a small grove of oaks near the village of Montefoscoli.
It was built around 1822 by Andrea Vaccà Berlinghieri, doctor and luminary of the University of Pisa. The intention was to dedicate a monument to his father Francesco, also a doctor, celebrating the profession with a dedication to the medicine goddess Minerva.
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