Malmantile
As ancient as time itself, Malmantile stands
as a fortified village. A few kilometers
down the old Via Pisana from Lastra A Signa
leads in the direction of Montelupo Fiorentino.
There among the majestic hills, the Medieval
Castle of Malmantile beckons with the ancient
hands of time. Though not a very big fortification,
the castle built in the 15th century is
unusual with its strong walls still holding
out against the elements of time. Though
the origins are mysterious, Malmantile was
a military stronghold on the old road that
connected Florence with Pisa before it evolved
into a town. An interesting fact accompanies
the name ‘Mamantile’. As the
legends traverse back to the 4th century,
S. Ambrogio, the bishop of Milan was travelling
to central Italy and en route met S. Zanobi,
the bishop of Florence. The bishops were
put up at a homestead there. When S.Ambrogio
left, he was so upset at the bad treatment
he received there and cursed the place.
A few days later, the homestead crashed
and fell to the ground. After this strange
event, the place was named ‘Malmantile’
which in ancient Italian meant ‘bad
welcome’.
The Gothic walled enclosure dates back
to 1424 and was one of the first of its
kind to be built. As a fortified town wall,
it was a classic example with machicolations
along the perimeter, the style of which
was used through the following years. As
another accolade, the famous architect,
Brunelleschi was involved in its construction.
Forming a perfect rectangle, the walls have
a dimension of 125x70 meters with 2 gates.
Though the walls still stand, there is little
remaining of the machicoulis. Formed by
brackets in stone, four rounded projections
were built with bricks to support the ogival
arch made of "beccatelli" or gray
stone. On the alternate arches there were
holes or protrusions with square embrasures,
from where, during an attack, defenders
dropped heavy objects or boiling liquids
on the enemies who climbed up the wall.
The whole boundary wall had slits at ten
meter intervals to permit a man armed with
bow and arrows to look through and aim at
the enemy.
The town-walls have square towers at its
angles and two towers at the middle of the
longest sides. The two gates have curved
arches structured on the outside of the
town wall with loopholes on both sides.
Part of the wall facing Pisa on the southwest
still retains the machicolation with a parapet.
At the south of the gate, the walls are
pierced by the windows of the houses built
on the inside. The northwest side is open
but almost covered by the houses built on
the outside. The gate that leads to Florence
is in dire need of renovation. The walls
were very important as the Florentine Republic
found it necessary to control the road leading
to the enemy boundary of Pisa. But the construction
of the walls took time and was finished
only after Pisa was conquered. The fortified
strategic point of the road to Pisa lost
its importance after the fall of the Florentine
Republic in 1530. As a result of which Malmantile
remained an isolated post and was not touched
by modernity.
Today, Malmantile is quiet and tranquil
with few or no tourists. This ancient town
houses a few shops, a school, a pharmacy
and a post office. There is a lovely 16th
century cantina there that serves traditional
fare such as, game dishes among which you
can find Sweet and Sour Hare/Rabbit. You
can also find a delicious and filling ‘panino
con salame e stracchino’ or a bread
roll with salami and rich cheese and plenty
of Chianti Colle Bertini made at the Fattoria.
Malmantile between the months of May and
June re-enacts the 'Festa Medievale' or
a medieval festival or joust.
- Lastra a Signa
- Artimino
- Montelupo
-
Vinci
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