In the heart of one of the least touristy areas of Tuscany is this village rich in art and music to the point of being one of the richest villages in Italy
Between Tuscan hills There are truly enchanting places hidden, full of charm and history, magic and traditions. They are buildings, they are landscapes, they are villages which look like pearls due to their beauty. We are used to it when it comes to Tuscany thinking about the villages and at Most iconic valleysbut there are areas of this Lesser known Tuscany which contain real beauties to the point of becoming truly exclusive. One of these is, without a doubt, la Val d’Erathat part of the territory located in the province of Pisa and which develops right around the Era river. In this area you will find the Valdera Park includes six municipalities: Capannoli, Lajatico, Peccioli, Palaia and Terricciola which is not the classic Park, but a complex territory where man and nature coexist in balance. It is not only the beauty of this land that makes it unique Val d’Era area, but it is precisely the quality of life that is so high that it makes it exclusive. It is precisely here, in fact, that not only the Borgo dei Borghi, Peccioli, but also one of the richest villages in Italy!
Lajatico: the Tuscan village that has the air of Bocelli
Until’last year Lajatico it was just the richest village in Italy, this year it is surpassed only by Portofino in the ranking drawn up a week ago, but it still remains a wonderful and truly exclusive destination. Its fame, in addition to its beauty, revolves precisely around this atmosphere of luxury and wealth with an exceptional protagonist Andrea Bocelli. This is typical Tuscan village of just over a thousand inhabitants, it is a typical postcard village with stone houses and a historic center that looks like a gem, and in recent years it has become famous precisely in Bocelli who almost adopted him, him being a citizen and transformed him into a real one “Bocellandia”. Until 15 years agoin fact, this village was one of beautiful villages of Tuscany it is now a tourist center which it really revolves around music. The symbol of the village today is, in fact, the Theater of Silence stage Where, Andrea Bocelliborn and currently resident in the hamlet of La Sterza, organizes a concert that hosts world-famous musicians every year, in a breathtaking landscape where the impact of the hand of man is practically reduced to zero.
Lajatico: the village with the essence of Tuscany
Lajatico is only 45 km from Pisa and in a small area you can breathe all the magical essence of Tuscany. Lajatico is a destination that has a lot to offer. Discovering its historic center is just the beginning of immersing yourself in this beautiful Tuscan village where the bell tower overlooking the street will certainly catch the eye. central Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, in the historic center there is also the Castle which has origins before the year 1000 of which today very little remains, only the side that overlooks the main square. A gem not to be missed is, in Lajatico, a small sign with the inscription “Speakers’ Corner” and, hanging nearby, a small stool that can be detached and used, this is a tribute to a symbol of the Anglo-Saxon world, the Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park, London. Just like in the English tradition, it is possible to carry out your surgery on Sunday! Not to be missed is the Parish Church of San Leonardo in Lajatico, which dates back to the 13th century. which after various renovations is today a form of neoclassical inspiration with three naves and a semicircular apse and inside has frescoes painted between 1949 and 1950 by the Sienese painter, beautiful is the ancient oratory of S. Sebastiano built in 1520 at the behest of a brotherhood formed in Lajatico.
The Theater of Silence: art takes shape in the Tuscan village
It deserves a separate chapter Theater of Silence, which we talked about at the beginning, because he is the real protagonist of the small town. The Theater of Silence constitutes a unique work of its kind, a natural theatre set in the splendid setting of the hills of Lajatico, small landscape jewel of the Alta Val d’Era. The scenario is very different from a theater as you imagine it, because it is a lake surrounded by blocks of travertine in the center of which works by internationally renowned artists stand out year after year. The stalls are not made up of rows of armchairs, but are simply made up of the gentle decline of a hill with wide, low steps also made of travertine. The peculiarity that gives it its name is that this theater remains silent for 364 days and is a place of peace and harmony that comes alive only with one of the most famous international concerts in the world. Andrea Bocelli, is the creator and honorary president of theTheater of Silence Associationwho promoted the initiative.
