Giovanni Boccaccio, father of the novella, died in 1375 in upper Certaldo, where his family had its roots: Casa Boccaccio, with library and panoramic tower, and the church of Santi Jacopo e Filippo, where he is buried, make the red-brick village a literary sanctuary. The funicular climbs from the lower town in one minute.
Palazzo Pretorio, carpeted with della Robbia coats of arms, closes Via Boccaccio at the top. In July, Mercantia turns the lanes into one of Europe's best-known street-theatre festivals. The Certaldo onion, already cited in the Decameron, seasons the stop.
Bistecca alla Fiorentina
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Next up: Saint Thomas the Apostle, patron of the town where Boccaccio was born and died, Saturday 3 July
Nearest airport: Firenze Peretola, 32 km away
Certaldo is part of 🏘️ Villages
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📅 Every year, on 3 July
Certaldo celebrates Saint Thomas the Apostle on 3 July, in the church of the same name overlooking Piazza Boccaccio; it was here, in all likelihood, that the writer Giovanni Boccaccio was born in 1313 and died in 1375.
Straight-line distances from the town centre. Tap a point to open its page.
The closest destinations covered by our editors, with straight-line distance.
Outside Certaldo, but an easy day trip away.
