Larieng

THE VILLAGE OF LARI

Lari, where to begin? Let's start with that we are in Tuscany on the hills of the Province of Pisa. Lari is a small town with a population of about 8000 people, halfway between Volterra and Pisa, the latter about 30 km away. It sits on a promontory 135 meters above sea level that rises above the surrounding landscape. It's a small medieval village! Small, quiet, full of history and traditions!

From the top of the castle, the orange flag of the Touring Club flies, the essential hub of every visit, a guarantee of the quality of environmental tourism Lari is the classic slow travel destination to be enjoyed slowly, step by step to discover its shops and gastronomic excellence and to talk to the villagers about the legends and episodes that float around its imposing fortress … the Castello dei Vicari, separated from the houses by a double wall and located right in the center of the village, typically laid out according to medieval usage, with its narrow streets and courtyards that sometimes take you back in time.

The well-preserved castle is open to the public all year round. Overall, you can see Etruscan, Roman and Renaissance finds (glazed terracottas of the Della Robbia), frescoes from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the "Hall of Torments", the prisons and the underground areas known as "Hell". The castle is the main resource of the historical center and attracts tens of thousands of tourists to the main villages of the parish every year. There are many tourists who go to the castle to see the places where, according to some statements, the spirit of Rosso della Paola is believed to have lived.

Last but not least, Lari should also be the village of cherries! The historic village festival has been held in the historic center of Lari for 64 years and is attended by over 10,000 visitors every year. During the village festival, which takes place in the last week of May and on the first of June, many artistic and cultural side events are organized. When visiting the medieval village, you can also take a gastronomic tour around the historic shops, which I highly recommend: you will find the typical cherry salami and soppressata, the exquisite ham and the delicate lard that the two local butchers shops prepare themselves, the bread that was processed with local flour and baked in the famous bakery and traditional “pasta” slow processed and extruded through bronze molds in what is now the historical “pasta” factory.