Querce: Woods, Pilgrimage and Remembrance

Querce is part of the municipality of Fucecchio. One of its defining landmarks is the Santuario della Madonna della Querce, also known as the Santuario di Querce: it is nestled in the green woods of the Cerbaie, a few kilometres from Fucecchio. Nature, religious history and the memory of an event from the Second World War give the place several distinct facets. If you are considering Querce as a place to stay, you can weigh these highlights against the interests of your trip to Tuscany.

The Santuario and the history of La Cellina

The Santuario della Madonna della Querce was built between 1637 and 1639. A medieval church dedicated to the martyr Nazarius is documented at the site from 866. This long religious history can be distinguished from the construction of the present-day Santuario: the former refers to an older church at the site, while the latter refers to the construction of the later sanctuary in the 17th century.

La Cellina is a small sanctuary built over a spring. A road reserved for pedestrians leads there from Via della Cellina; it begins behind the Santuario and the cemetery. The painting of the Madonna di Viterbo is also part of the history of the new church building: it came from the small building that previously stood there and was transferred to the main altar of the new church in 1639.

La Cellina soon became a pilgrimage destination. On 18 May 1637, a register was begun there to record graces attributed by the faithful to the Virgin. In 1876, Bishop Pio Alberto Del Corona declared the water of La Cellina miraculous by episcopal decree. Together, these dates show how the history of the sanctuary is connected with lived Marian devotion and the tradition surrounding the spring.

Woodland scenery and walks

The Cerbaie provide a green setting for several different walking descriptions around Querce and La Cellina. The Sentiero della Beatitudine is described as a short walking trail through the woods, shaped by nature, history and legends. The description was associated with a hiking and stargazing event on 5 July 2025. This gives the trail a different emphasis from the older accounts of walks: here, woodland scenery meets historical and narrative associations.

A walk in 2018 went through the oak woods around Lago della Cellina. Also in 2018, a documented walk in Querce passed through the Cerbaie woods as far as the edge of the Padule di Fucecchio. The 2024 autumn walking programme described the Anello di Crocialoni e Docce circular route from the Antica Cellina delle Querce; it led to several lakes between the Cerbaie hills and the Padule. These descriptions focus on different things: oak woodland by the lake, a route through the woods to the edge of the wetland, and a circular route to several lakes. They should not be understood as one and the same route.

Remembering the Padule di Fucecchio

The history of the Padule di Fucecchio massacre is also part of the local picture. Querce was one of the districts of the municipality of Fucecchio affected by it. The massacre took place on 23 August 1944. This remembrance adds a sombre historical note alongside the religious history and the Cerbaie landscape.

Consider which of these themes you would like to give greater weight to in planning your trip, and compare this focus with the rest of your Tuscany itinerary.

Discover more destinations: Galleno.

Return to the wider travel overview: Fucecchio.