Capolavori poco conosciuti in Toscana: quando l'arte è nascosta- TuscanyPeople

Discover Tuscany's most beautiful and little-known masterpieces, from Renaissance to contemporary art—a heritage to be savored.

THEin Tuscany is one of the territories in the world richest in art ever. But beyond the many monuments and more or less known worksThere are also some hidden gems that are truly worth exploring, hidden from the eyes of most. Let's take a look at some of them together.

La Grotta degli animali nella villa medicea di Castello

The Animal Cave of the Medici Villa of Castello

A few minutes from Florence, the Medici Villa of Castello preserves a true aesthetic delight in the magnificence of its garden. We are talking about one of the masterpieces of hydraulic art of the sixteenth century, namely the large artificial cave built in 1540 by Nicholas Pericoli, called Tribolo, by will of Cosimo I. Michel de Montaigne, in his Journal du voyage en Italie, defines it like this: “You can see animals of all kinds spraying water, some from their beaks, some from their wings, some from their claws or from their ears or from their noses.Inside there are three niches in which they pile up animals sculpted in polychrome marble and bronze, such as wild boars, horses, dromedaries and deer. The cave is decorated with river pebbles, stuccos, sponges, shells And calcareous concretions.

This cave was also called 'of the Flood' for the complex water games which amazed the visitors, among whom the falling from above in a rain which came from over one hundred lead diffusers hidden in the ceiling.

The chapel of St. Michael the Archangel, in Barberino

On the road that leads to Certaldo, in the countryside of Barberino Val d'Elsa, you can come across a small chapel with a identical dome, although much smaller in size, than that of the Florence Cathedral. This is about the Chapel of St. Michael the Archangel, designed by Santi di Tito, and built between 1594 and 1597.

This chapel, with its octagonal structure, is in fact famous for being surmounted by a dome, reproduced in 1:8 scale precisely that much more famous one by Brunelleschi. John the Baptist by Neri Capponi financed the work, but to build it he also had to ask the Grand Duke Ferdinand I a special permit. In theSemifonte area, in fact, there was an absolute ban on building even 400 years after the destruction of the city in the spring of 1202 by the Florentine Republic fearful of the growing power of ancient Semifonte.

For further information: Medici Villas: A Guide to Navigating the Architectural Magnificence

Cappella di San Michele Arcangelo vicino a Certaldo, con cupola in scala 1:8 del Duomo di Firenze

The Golden Tree of Lucignano

“The Tree of Life” of Lucignano, reliquary unique in the world tree-shaped, is considered one of the world's greatest goldsmith masterpiecesIt was completed by Ugolino da Vieri and Gabriello D'Antonio over the course of 120 years, between 1350 and 1471.

From the trunk of the tree, 2.60 m high they radiate 12 branches, six to the right and six to the left, with decorated leaves and small cases, while red coral symbolizes fruits of the plant. At the top rises a crucifix and a pelican depicted in the act of pecking its chest to feed its young with its own blood, an image clearly evocative of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.

It is also called the “Tree of Lovers” or “of Love” because it is believed to bring good luck to young couples.

The Tomb of the Winged Demons in Sovana

In the magic of Sovana, in the Archaeological Park “City of Tufa”, in 2004 a real masterpiece emerged. We are talking about the so-called Tomb of the Winged Demons, brought to light by an excavation campaign conducted by the Superintendency for Archaeological Heritage of Tuscany in collaboration with the Department of Ancient Sciences, Ca' Foscari University of Venice.

There spectacular tomb it shows itself as a cubic block carved in tuff, on the front of which is carved the facade of a aedicule building with a central roomInside this niche, the deceased is depicted lying down with libations. On the sides of the central niche, originally there were two statues almost in the round, which represented female winged demons, of which only the left one, with a torch, identified as Vanth, is preserved.

On the high relief pediment stands out a impressive winged sea demon, with fish-like tails. In front of the facade, in symmetrical position, there are two sculptures placed on high podiums, of which only the left one, depicting a lion, has been preserved.

For further information: Sorano, Sovana, and Pitigliano: three beautiful tuff villages in Maremma.

Bassorilievo etrusco rappresentante un demone, ritrovato a Sovana

The David hidden among the Apuan Alps, in Colonnata

Hidden in a quarry of precious marble in the Municipality of Colonnata, we find a gigantic tribute to the Michelangelo's DavidThe author of the mural, ten meters high and twelve meters long, is the internationally renowned Brazilian street artist Eduardo Kobra, who has been travelling around the world for years painting the city walls with its colorful characters that must serve as inspiration to those who watch them.

In June 2017 Kobra arrived in Italy and created aextraordinary work from the depths symbolic meaning. He in fact painted the famous Michelangelo's David, reinterpreting it thanks to his harlequin colors on one of the highest walls of the quarry Walter Corsi. An extremely tiring job, under the scorching sun, which the artist carried out all by himself, climbing every day on the white wall. The place where this is located reinterpretation of David It can be reached on foot in about fifty minutes following the paths that start from the municipalities of Bedizzano or Colonnata.

For further information: Michelangelo's David: an eternal legend that becomes myth

Il David di Kobra sulle Alpi Apuane vicino a Colonnata

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