The year 1296 marked the birth of Castel San Giovanni, a strategic outpost established by Florence to control the territory. Now known as San Giovanni Valdarno, the town's geometric layout is widely attributed to architect Arnolfo di Cambio. Designed as a "new Florentine town," the historic core mirrors a Roman military camp, featuring perpendicular main axes intersecting at a central public square.
Situated in the Arno River valley, this Arezzo province municipality is home to 16,890 residents. The strict thirteenth-century street plan makes navigating the center remarkably easy, offering architecture enthusiasts a highly readable map of medieval urban planning.
The San Giovanni Valdarno guide
Near San Giovanni Valdarno
The closest destinations covered by our editors, with straight-line distance.
