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San Vivaldo is located on one of the high hills separating the valley of the river Elsa from the valley of the river Era, on the border between the provinces of Florence and Pisa. It is located approx. 17 km from Certaldo and San Gimignano and 20 km from Volterra. The complex of San Vivaldo is surrounded by green forests of holm oak and chestnut trees that characterize the hills of the town of Montaione (ca. 350 m), a medieval town renowned for the beauty of its landscape and geographical location.
San Vivaldo derives its name from Vivaldo, a Franciscan friar native of San Gimignano who lived and died as a hermit in these woods (1320). In 1510 the church of San Vivaldo was entrusted to the Dominicans of Florence: due to the configuration of the terrain, similar to that of Jerusalem, the Dominicans wanted to rebuild in this place the shrines that in the Holy City of Jerusalem mark the places where Jesus lived and died.
For this purpose, several chapels were built within which the masters of the Della Robbia workshop realized painted terracotta sculptures representing scenes from the life and passion of Jesus.
In this way, the Dominican friars offered to the inhabitants of the region a “virtual” pilgrimage to Jerusalem, a pilgrimage without risk – Jerusalem in the early 1500s was under the control of the Turks – and much more “economical” than normal trip to the Holy Land.
The visit of San Vivaldo can be combined with a guided tour of some of the most fascinating areas of Tuscany such as San Gimignano, Certaldo, Volterra, Colle di Val d’Elsa, Poggibonsi, San Miniato al Tedesco.