in the places where Pinocchio was born
“The Adventures of Pinocchio – Story of a puppet” is one of the cornerstones of children’s literature and the lying child transformed into a long-nosed wooden puppet is one of the most beloved souvenir symbols of Italy in the world.
If you want to have a different holiday in Tuscany, why not retrace the traces of Pinocchio? In this 3 day tour perfect for your children, we will take you to rediscover the places where its creator lived Carlo Collodipseudonym of Carlo Lorenzini, a Florentine journalist with a patriotic heart, and those who celebrate his work!
Day 1 – In the footsteps of Collodi, in Florence
We start our tour in Central Market Squarein Florence, in the shadow of the bronze sculpture of Pinocchio sitting on a large book, created in 2006 by the sculptor Thomas Cecchi at the behest of the Zàzà restaurant.
From here, just 100 meters on foot, it is easy to reach via Taddea 21where is the home, Christmas by Carlo Lorenzini, as indicated by the plaque.
We are in what was once a very poor area, owed the servitude of the Marquesses Ginori, powerful noble family of Florence. In fact, his father Domenico Lorenzini worked as a cook at the Ginori house while his mother Angelina Orzali was the maid and dressmaker of the marquisina Marianna Garzoni.
Carlo moved to Collodi with an aunt during his childhood, but lived mainly in Florence. Continuing on via Taddea, we therefore enter Via dei Ginoriwhere we can find another plaque dedicated to Lorenzini, the one placed on Palazzo Ginori, where the author lived with his brother Paolo and where he died on October 26, 1890. The plaque was placed on the occasion of the centenary of the publication of Pinocchio and celebrates the ‘commitment of the writer in the education of “the boys and men of a united Italy”.
Collodi also attended the Caffè Michelangiolo, literary café that was the salon of very important exponents of the nineteenth century, such as the painters of the Macchiaioli movement. Today only a commemorative plaque survives of the café, placed at the number 21 of Via Cavour.
Finally, for those who wish, it is possible to visit the chapel of the Lorenzini family and the tomb of Collodi in the cemetery of San Miniato del Montenear the famous Piazzale Michelangelo. The view of which will be an excellent postcard to close our first day in Florence.
Not to be missed:
- Pinocchio statue at the Central Market
- Birthplace of Collodi
- Ginori Palace
- Piazzale Michelangelo
Day 2 – The places of inspiration
If we have retraced the life of Collodi, for this second day we retrace the places that inspired his work.
Let’s move to the gates of Sesto Fiorentinowhere is it Villa il Bel Riposo.
His brother Paolo was here when he was a manager of the Ginori di Doccia factory, and Carlo stayed there at the end of the 1870s. Precisely in the streets between Sesto, Castello, and Peretola, Carlo found inspiration for many of the places he wrote about in Pinocchio. Today they are organized by the route “In the footsteps of Pinocchio” in 12 stages that can be traveled on foot.
Marked by explanatory signs, the 12 stages are divided into 3 separate itineraries. The first is a walk through the streets of the hamlet of Castlewhere to look for the point where to try to reach the Via del Paese, find the point where to reach the House of Mastro Ciliegia and the Great Oak.
For the second itinerary, let’s post to Sesto Fiorentinowhere to visit the Land of Toys, corresponding to the summer fair in Vittorio Veneto square, once reachable by courier pulled by donkeys, just like the one that Pinocchio and Lucignolo took. Here there are also the Teatro del Ciuchino, where the Niccolini Theater was, and the Osteria del Gambero Rosso.
We conclude the walk in the gardens of the Villa of Colonnata, or the Field of Miracles. The episode of the five sequins is linked to this place. In fact, it seems that a worker found a bag of coins in the ground, as if he were “born of the earth”, and handed it over to his masters. Did it inspire a certain cat and a certain fox?
Last itinerary, that of Peretola. In here Garibaldi square, Mangiafuoco performed, like so many street artists before him. And the sea he faces? It is none other than themarsh of Osmannoro!
From Peretola it will be easy to return to Sesto Fiorentino and this “treasure hunt” among the places of Pinocchio.
Not to be missed:
- Castle and the places of Pinocchio’s childhood
- Sesto Fiorentino and the Villa di Colonnata
- Peretola
Day 3 – In the footsteps of Pinocchio in Collodi
Carlo Lorenzini was called “il Collodi” because of a small medieval village perched on a hill, which was the birthplace of his mother Angelina and who hosted him during his childhood.
And it is precisely here that we will spend the last day of our tour in the footsteps of Pinocchio. A hamlet of Pescia, in the province of Pistoia, Collodi can be easily reached by car or train (regional Florence – Lucca, Pescia stop) in just over an hour.
The village hosts the Pinocchio Park, commemorative park with the charm of yesteryear, founded in 1956 following the seventieth anniversary of the book’s publication.
The park is a real “monumental path”, with 21 sculptures in bronze and steel by artists of the twentieth century dedicated to the characters and places of Collodi’s novel.
Here there are vintage rides dating back to the 1950s, which recall those of the Land of Toys, and the Puppet Theater, where the most famous episodes of the novel are played. The latest addition to the Adventure Park, which between Tibetan bridges and launches on the river will be able to entertain even the wildest children. Complete the visit on Pinocchio Museuma playful-cultural journey through the evolution of the history of the most famous puppet in Italy and its representations.
Once in Collodi, don’t miss the splendid ones Gardens of Villa Garzoni, 17th-century Lucca residence that houses a large park with peacocks, swans, carp and even a butterfly house that will delight your children! Although not directly linked to the author of Pinocchio, Carlo’s mother worked at Villa Garzoni and here she met her future husband Domenico.
It is possible to visit both the Pinocchio Park and the Gardens of Villa Garzoni with a single cumulative ticket.
Not to be missed:
- Pinocchio Park
- Gardens of Villa Garzoni.