Casa d'Era Country Holiday Houses
Laiatico - Via Bellavista 10
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In the hinterland of Pisa lies a small gem waiting to be discovered. It’s Lajatico, a village of around 1,000 inhabitants made famous by Andrea Bocelli, who was born here and still resides there, and who—by the statistics—has made it Italy’s wealthiest municipality in terms of average income.
If you’re in the area, perhaps after visiting the stunning Volterra nearby, take a detour to Lajatico and discover these magical places, characterised by rolling hills and enchanting views, but also churches, ruined castles, and above all the home of the famous Teatro del Silenzio, strongly championed by Andrea Bocelli, built in 2006 and rapidly becoming one of Italy’s most prestigious open-air venues.
Via Garibaldi is Lajatico’s main street, running through it from north to south; the historic centre is instead a few blocks to the west. Explore it at your leisure without any particular plan, savour the tranquillity of the place, then dedicate yourself to the most important landmarks in the village and its surroundings.
The Teatro del Silenzio stands on a hill near Lajatico. Its construction was championed by Andrea Bocelli, who wanted to provide his native town with a venue to host just one performance per year, which gives the theatre its name.
The theatre features a circular stage, which each year is dressed with ever-changing scenography. Among these, we recall the human face by Igor Mitoraj, which was later donated to the theatre’s foundation. When the theatre is inactive, the auditorium becomes an artificial lake.
The entire area dedicated to performances covers 5,000 square metres, and to complete the project, 5,000 native plants were planted. The Teatro del Silenzio editions have been held since 2006, the year of its inauguration. Performances of the highest calibre and international significance have been staged here, attracting up to 8,000 spectators. Among the most notable editions are the 2008 Cinema Tribute Concert, the 2015 Turandot, and the 2016 Le Cirque.
Among the forests of the Valdera, outside Lajatico, stands the Rocca di Pietracassia, a ruined castle dating back to the 11th century. It was built for defensive purposes, to protect the route to Montecatini. Its history is turbulent, as it was conquered and sold several times until 1434, when it was recaptured by the Pisans after passing into Florentine hands. From then on, unfortunately, it remained abandoned and exposed to the elements.
Today, the Rocca di Pietracassia is open to visitors and is divided into two structures: the fortress proper and the castle. Of these, some sections of the outer walls, the keep and a tower remain standing, inside which you can admire a fine barrel vault. The rest of the interior rooms have collapsed, but the ruins set against the backdrop of the Tuscan hills are nonetheless a lovely sight.
In the Spedaletto locality stands a truly beautiful Medici villa: the Villa di Spedaletto, one of the villas of Lorenzo the Magnificent, commissioned in the late 15th century in a strategic location, close to Volterra and its precious alum mines, and at the same time near a thermal spring that Lorenzo’s mother used for health treatments.
The Villa di Spedaletto was designed by Simone del Pollaiolo; in contrast to its plain exterior, the interior was richly frescoed and decorated by artists of the calibre of Ghirlandaio, Filippino Lippi and Sandro Botticelli. Unfortunately, these marvellous frescoes were almost entirely lost, as they were damaged by a fire in the 17th century.
Central Lajatico is very small and accommodation options are limited—there are a few holiday homes and rental apartments, which represent the best choice if you want to stay close to the village’s services, albeit limited. In the surrounding area, however, there are delightful farmhouses, beautiful villas, farmsteads and country houses, elegantly renovated and converted into charming residences, whilst maintaining typical Tuscan style with exposed beams and terracotta flooring.
The services provided by these properties are almost always of the highest standard: there are outdoor pools, spacious gardens and everything you need for a splendid holiday in the Tuscan hinterland, surrounded by magnificent views and with the opportunity to savour local specialities, since almost all feature an in-house restaurant serving traditional dishes often based on km 0 ingredients.
Lajatico is about 50 kilometres from Pisa, in the hinterland of the province. To get there from the provincial capital, it takes just under an hour via the Florence-Pisa-Livorno motorway towards Florence until the Ponsacco junction, then proceeding along the SR439 regional road.
To reach Lajatico from Florence, you again take the Florence-Pisa-Livorno motorway, this time towards Pisa, exiting at Pontedera and then continuing along the SP11 provincial road. The total journey time is approximately one hour and 15 minutes.
As far as public transport is concerned, unfortunately options are limited. The quickest route is to arrive by train at Pontedera, which sits on the Florence-Pisa railway line and is therefore well served, then proceed by Toscana Autolinee intercity buses from Pontedera towards Volterra. The bus journey from Pontedera takes just under an hour, to which of course you must add the travel time on the train.
What's the weather at Lajatico? Below are the temperatures and the weather forecast at Lajatico for the next few days.
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