Return to Radicofani on the Via Francigena
One of the highlights of our Via Francigena pilgrimage, walking from Lucca to Rome, was Radicofani. A highlight both literally (highest altitude climb) and figuratively. We loved our time in Radicofani.
Now that we were back in Italy, with a car this time, we heeded the call to return.
Radicofani is 2,700 feet about sea level, which by itself not a huge hill to climb, but that ascent came at the end of a long walk. The tower fortress, La Rocca, dominates the skyline.
A Fortress with a Story to Tell
La Rocca tells of the strategic importance of Radicofani during the medieval era. The fortress served as a crucial checkpoint along the Via Francigena, controlling passage of pilgrims and commerce between the Papal States, Republic of Siena, and the Medici family of Florence. Radicofani was an important border town until the unification of Italy under Vittorio Emanuele II in 1861.
Radicofani changed hands many times in history between these states, but it also came under the control of a bandit.
The Legend of Ghino di Tacco
“Quiv’era l’Aretin che da le braccia fiere di Ghino di Tacco ebbe la morte.” -Dante Alighieri (Canto VI, lines 13-14 of Purgatorio)
“Here was the Aretino who met his death at the ferocious hands of Ghino di Tacco.”
No visit to Radicofani is complete without exploring the fascinating story of its most infamous resident, Ghino di Tacco. Often called the “Italian Robin Hood,” Ghino was a nobleman turned outlaw who seized control of the fortress in the late 13th century.
Immortalized in Boccaccio’s Decameron and mentioned by Dante in The Divine Comedy, Ghino was known for robbing the wealthy travelers passing through on the Via Francigena. However, unlike typical bandits, he was said to have a code of honor. As Boccaccio tells it, he once captured the Abbot of Cluny, who was suffering from stomach ailments. Rather than demanding a ransom, Ghino nursed him back to health through a strict diet and simple lifestyle. This act supposedly earned him a pardon from Pope Boniface VIII.
Like Robin Hood, Ghino is an inspiration for authors.
The Della Robbia Treasures
A pleasant surprise of Radicofani is the collection of Della Robbia terracotta works scattered throughout the town’s churches. The Della Robbia family revolutionized ceramic art in Renaissance Florence with their distinctive glazed terracotta sculptures, characterized by luminous white figures set against brilliant blue backgrounds.
In Radicofani, these ceramic masterpieces speak to the soul. Their vibrant colors seem almost miraculous, having maintained their brilliance for over five centuries. The glaze not only creates stunning visual effects but also protected these works from the elements, preserving them as testimonies to faith across generations.
The Three Churches
Chiesa di San Pietro
The Church of Saint Peter, with its simple Romanesque façade, faces the main piazza. This church brought literal and figurative chills the first time we stepped inside. Warmed from climbing up to the piazza, in the afternoon Tuscan sun, stepping into church felt like entering a walk-in refrigerator. Shedding our backpacks to don sweatshirts, we were taken back by the amazing Della Robbia crucifix and other treasures.
Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta
Right next door to San Pietro lies the smaller chapel of Santa Maria Assunta. On this day, a lone adorer was kneeling in prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament, keeping watch during Adoration.
Chiesa di Sant’Agata
In the Renaissance period, when Radicofani was very wealthy, a delegation traveled to Catania in Sicily to seek relics of Saint Agatha for protection from earthquakes. Today, the central altar-piece is another Della Robbia, this one the “Madonna Enthroned with Saints and Angels,” which has survived hundreds of years of earthquakes. The terra cotta masterpiece, commissioned in 1500, has also survived the church being destroyed during World War II.
Cinghiale, Hunter Style
Several sections of the Via Francigena were closed or had warnings posted because of infestations of cinghiale or wild boar. I do my bit at every opportunity to order pasta with a hearty cinghiale ragu. In Radicofani, in the Ristorante La Grotta, the cinghiale came cacciatore (hunter) style and melted in my mouth. Delizioso!
With its inspiring location, medieval past, groundbreaking art, classic cuisine and even a legendary literary bandit, Radicofani was definitely worth a second trip.
