Vinci
VINCI – 20 KM FROM MONTECATINI TERME
Vinci is famous for being the birthplace of Leonardo and those who visit it have the opportunity to learn more about him by stopping in the house where he was born, visiting the museum and library dedicated to him. The town is located on the Montalbano hills, in the heart of Tuscany, a short distance from the major art cities of the region: Florence, Pisa, Lucca, Siena.
The city is organized around the Castle, still the dominant presence in Vinci, whose primitive construction dates back to the early Middle Ages. Around the year 1000, the village became a possession of the Guidi counts who dominated its fortunes until 12 August 1245, when it was subjected to Florence and transformed into a Municipality. Located on the western border of the state, Vinci was the object of contention by the enemies of Florence and directly experienced the turbulent events that tormented Florentine political life.
Soldiers headed by Uguccione della Faggiuola (1315), Castruccio Castracani (1320-26), Jona Hakwood known as the Sharp (1364), head of the English mercenary companies in the pay of Pisa, alternated under the walls of the castle.
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