An evening in church at Impruneta
An evening in church at Impruneta A magic tour for the warm
evenings of June. Only 14 kilometres from Florence, the route takes us through
olive groves and vineyards surrounding Impruneta on the borders of the Chianti
and gives us the chance to visit religious sites together with art and various
performances until June 28th. Based on an idea by Sabrina Giuliani and the
Impruneta Councillor for Culture, we can rediscover some of the artistic treasures
in the area by following in the path of the ancient settlements and early
mediaeval churches, some of which have recently been restored. The success
of the first edition of the event last year, known as "The tour of the 7 churches",
has led to the addition of two more churches to the programme, increasing
the number of performances from 7 to 13, several concentrated in the area
around Tavarnuzze, the second town in importance in the borough after Impruneta.
The opening concert will in fact be held there on the afternoon of June 17th
in the square. All the other events will be held at 9pm, transforming the
nine churches into splendid settings for the concerts, ballet and theatre.
The countryside around Impruneta is extremely beautiful and, when we explore
this area, site of the early Etruscan settlements and later of the Romans,
we find ourselves making new and exciting discoveries about our origins. Every
corner seems to have some new surprise - be it landscape or art - in store
for us. Many of its treasures, like the tiny churches hidden among the cypress
trees and framed by the silvery colours of the olive groves, are hardly known.
"This event - says Councillor Riccardo Lazzerini - gives us a chance to discover
or rediscover all these wonderful places". 
One
of these places is of course the Basilica of Santa Maria dell'Impruneta, a
famous sanctuary and, this year, Jubilee Basilica; it was founded to host
a miraculous image of the Madonna discovered "in prunis" ("among the brambles"),
giving origin to the name of the town. The Basilica of Santa Maria, consacrated
in 1060, has been altered and restored many times, especially after the bombardment
during the last World War, but it still conserves its 14th and 16th century
cloisters, an extraordinary Romanesque crypt, an apse of 1525 and the elegant
outer portico, built in 1634 by the Medici Grand Dukes, who supported the
church and, over the centuries, donated many of the precious furnishings and
objects of religious art preserved in the Museum today (info 055.213729).
The interior contains works by Michelozzo,
Giambologna, Tacca and Luca
della Robbia, who carried out his glazed terracotta masterpieces in the
Impruneta potteries. The Basilica hosts a concert of Religious Music on Wednesday
June 21st. The Church of Santi Stefano e Caterina at Pozzolatico, where the
Impruneta Choral Society of Mutual Help performs on Monday June 26th is equally
ancient and historic. The church can be found mentioned in documents from
the year 1000; The village of Pozzolatico (from the Latin word "pluteum laticum"
= water well, or "puteus oleaticus" = hill of olive trees), was situated near
the great Consular roads like the Cassia; an extensive network of paths and
wagontracks grew up around the village many of which met on the site of where
the church dedicated to Santo Stefano was built after the spread of Christianity.
Its second name, Santa Caterina, comes from St. Catherine de' Ricci (1522-1590),
a Dominican nun and member of the family that ruled Pozzolatico from the mid
14th century. The Ricci family also rebuilt the church in 1737. The interior
contains a "Madonna and Child" by that extraordinary painter to the Medici
court, Alessandro Allori, dated 1582. The turning for the villages of Le Rose,
Baruffi and Quintole, where we can find two more fine examples of local religious
architecture, the Church of San Miniato at Quintole and the Church of San
Lorenzo alle Rose, can be found just outside Tavarnuzze, near the motorway
exit. Elegant and severe in its architectural design, the former can be reached
along an un-made road; the 14th century interior is built on a Latin cross
with fragments of frescoes of the same date: a performance of music and poetry
with Flavio Cucchi on the guitar will be held here on June 17th. Mentioned
in documents from as early as the 11th century (at Camaldoli for example in
1120), San Lorenzo alle Rose is even more of a treasure, even though it was
reconstructed in the early 14th century. The bare simplicity of the facade
and the outer stone walls of the sloping roofed structure show clear traces
of the original 14th century building. The interior not only contains paintings
by Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio and
Andrea Boscoli but also a unique work of art, a Madonna and Child that is
now generally accepted as by Taddeo Gaddi (1320-1366), true heir of the school
of Giotto. Two musical evenings will be held here: a clarinet quintet on June
20th and, to conclude the event, Gli Archi del 900 "Archea" on June 28th.
Other appointments include a Choral Evening with the "Messa Creola" and Spirituals
(June 18th), and a performance of "Holy Voices" with the Teatro del Dharma
Company (June 22nd) at the Parish Church of the Sacro Cuore at Tavarnuzze;
music and ballet with the ImagoLab Company and the "Violando" trio (June 23rd),
at the Church of San Paolo alla Croce at Colleramole ), a 'cello recital (June
25th) in the Church of San Martino at Bagnolo and Ancient Indian music in
the Church of San Gersolé (June 27th). Don't miss the chance to spend
a wonderful evening in a unique setting. The staff at the Impruneta Public
Library (055.2011700) will be delighted to provide further information and
bookings on request.
Translated by Susan Glasspool
In
collaboration with: