Vicopisano is a small medieval village along the banks of the river Arno. In the Middle Ages, the village of Vicopisano was fiercely contested between Pisa, Lucca and Florence for its strategic position: the Florentines won in 1406 after a long siege. Unlike other villages razed to the ground and with the castles dismantled, here it was decided to strengthen the fortified complex. The project was entrusted to the architect Filippo Brunelleschi who, in 1440, built the Rocca Nuova and strengthened the walls. These works gave new importance to Vicopisano, which became the seat of the Vicariate of Valdarno Inferiore. The Rocca del Brunelleschi, Palazzo Pretorio, the 13 medieval tower houses represent today the rich historical and artistic offer of this jewel of Monte Pisano, which is also a starting point to discover Romanesque churches, such as the Pieve Santa Maria, which preserves a thirteenth-century cycle of frescoes and the wooden group of the Deposition from the Cross, the Pieve di San Jacopo in Lupeta and the Pieve di Santa Giulia in Caprona, where there is also the Rocca degli Upezzinghi, in whose siege also participated Dante Alighieri. History but also wellness. Near Vicopisano there is the thermal establishment of Uliveto, synonymous of "health water", already known in the Middle Ages for its unmistakable taste, characterized by a micro-effervescence. Vicopisano is also part of the Strada dell'Olio Monti Pisani. The wealth of olive groves allows the production of quality extra virgin olive oil, obtained through traditional techniques of harvesting and pressing of the olives. It has been awarded the denomination "Tuscan" IGP Olive Oil sub-zone Monti Pisani. In addition to olive oil, Vicopisano was known in the past for ceramics, a tradition of craftsmanship kept alive thanks to some laboratories that work the terracotta (called "mota" from the name of the raw clay).
