Piazze: Culture, Landscape and Bico

Piazze lies to the southeast on the slopes of Monte Cetona and combines a clearly recognisable town centre with a history dating back to the 16th century. It is also home to a regional speciality, a designated route and individual cultural monuments whose details bring the town to life. Piazze combines the landscape around Monte Cetona with local history and cuisine.

Landscape and orientation in Piazze

Piazza Vittorio Veneto is considered the symbolic centre of Piazze’s main settlement. The Monumento ai Caduti della Prima Guerra Mondiale stands there; it was created by Raffaello Romanelli and inaugurated in 1924. The monument is made of engraved and hewn travertine and is freely accessible without architectural barriers. This makes it possible to combine a visit to the town centre with a clearly identified historical testimony, without viewing the square merely as a place of passage. The Itinerario dei colli di Piazze is designated as an 8.3-kilometre route. In the heart of Piazze is the Locanda Toscanini, a boutique B&B with just eight rooms.

History between Piazze and Camporsevoli

The first records of Piazze date back to the 16th century. At that time, the area and the chapel came under the jurisdiction of Castello di Camporsevoli. Camporsevoli is a fortified village located a few kilometres from Piazze. Several sections of the old castle walls and the entrance gate are still visible. After a few kilometres, the road from Piazze to Camporsevoli changes from a paved section into an unpaved road and, lined with cypresses, leads up a steep hill. This information is particularly relevant if you want to distinguish places and routes not only by their distance, but also by their documented character. The Cappella di San Giuseppe al Tamburino is part of the area’s religious history. It was built in the first decades of the 16th century, possibly as a votive offering on the occasion of an epidemic. The Chiesa di San Lazzaro also dates from the 16th century and was closed for religious purposes in 1962. Its high altar contains a large 17th-century canvas depicting the Resurrection of Saint Lazarus.

Bico di Piazze and local cuisine

A culinary speciality of its own is Bico di Piazze. This traditional unleavened food is made from water, wheat flour and a little salt. It contains no yeast and is baked by the fire under the ash produced by a large quantity of burning wood. The method of preparation is therefore just as much part of the traditional description as the few basic ingredients. For several years, the Sagra del bico has been held in Piazze over two weekends from the end of June to the beginning of July. During the festival, the town’s historical cooks prepare the traditional food. The Sagra del Bico di Piazze is also one of the events mentioned in Cetona during the summer and honours the local gastronomic tradition. In addition, the à-la-carte menu at Osteria da Rinaldi offers Tuscan dishes prepared with local and seasonal ingredients.

Music and remembrance

Piazze is also connected with the history of the Banda Comunale “Arturo Toscanini”. In 1934, a school was established under the direction of Maestro Caporaletti to found the band. Its first official performance took place on 22 November 1935. The namesake himself came to Piazze in February 1932, where he was treated by the local doctor Alberto Rinaldi. Together with the monument in Piazza Vittorio Veneto and the historic religious buildings, this creates a townscape in which different periods remain visibly side by side. For further orientation, you can also view [Castellina In Chianti](Castellina In Chianti), [Rapolano Terme](Rapolano Terme), [San Giovanni D'asso](San Giovanni D'asso), [Vagliagli](Vagliagli), [Radda / Chianti](Radda / Chianti), [Cetona](Cetona), [Montalcino](Montalcino) and [La Fratta](La Fratta).

For the overarching travel overview: Siena.