Borgo San Lorenzo is a small town along the River Sieve in the province of Florence in Tuscany. It is situated north of Florence itself and is the main town of an area known as Mugello.
Borgo San Lorenzo travel guide
Useful information
Tourist information: There is an Info Point Turistico at Villa Pecori Giraldi – Piazzale Lavacchini 1 – Borgo S. Lorenzo. Phone: +39 055 8456230 or +39 055 84527185
Town hall: Piazza Dante, 2 – Borgo San Lorenzo. Phone: +39 055 849661.
Railway station: Borgo San Lorenzo has its own railway station.
Tourist attractions Borgo San Lorenzo and suburbs
The Church of San Lorenzo was built in 1263. On display are a number of terracottas and a fragment of an altarpiece supposedly made by Giotto.
In Grezzano, north of Borgo San Lorenzo, you can visit the Church of Santo Stefano and the Museum of Popular Traditions.
San Piero del Sieve is west of the town and has a church (the Chiesa Parocchiale) from the 11th century. The San Martino fortress towers over the rest of the village.
Outside San Piero is the Bosco ai Frati monastery, which houses the Museum of Sacred Art. Among the exhibits here is a wooden cross made by Donatello.
In Scarperìa, stand out the 13th-century Palazzo dei Vicari, which houses the Museo dei Ferri Taglienti (or “Museum of Cutting Irons”). The Chapel of the Madonna di Piazza is also worth a visit.
The Parish Church of Sant’Agata is one of the most important churches in Mugello.
Vicchio is home to the Museo di Arte Sacra e Religiosità Popolare Beato Angelico.
Vespignano is a borough of Vicchio and here is the skin where the painter Giotto was (perhaps) born.
A brief history of Borgo San Lorenzo
Borgo San Lorenzo was founded around the Basilian monastery of San Fantino. There are however traces of settlements as far back as before the Etruscans.
Families who owned the village were first Amendoleo, then the Abenavoli. Hereafter, the village knew a succession of feudal lords, until it became relatively independent under the French, in 1811.
In 1860, even before the landing of Garibaldi, the city declared itself independent from the then Bourbon rulers.
How to get to Borgo San Lorenzo by car
By car, the city can be reached from Florence by taking the Strada Provinciale SP65 northwards.