BOJOLA country - Tuscan cow-hide boutique in Florentine Chianti

WHERE WE ARE

The shop is located in the historical centre of Barberino val d'Elsa, on the main street at the number 37/39, near the little main square of the town, halfway from the two gates of the village, the beautiful "porta senese" and "porta fiorentina".

The medieval town of Barberino is placed along the "Cassia" road which links Florence to Siena and runs through the ridges and hills of val d'Elsa and val di Pesa and also passes below the old ramparts of Monteriggioni.

Barberino V.E. is between Florence (30 km) and Siena (32 km), on a windy hill before the part of the road which descends down to Poggibonsi where the ancient pilgrim route "via Francigena" coming from Lucca and following the val d'Elsa once joined the Cassia and continued to Rome.

Driving on the Firenze-Siena motorway, take the "Tavarnelle" exit if coming from Florence, or the "Poggibonsi Nord" if coming from Siena and climb up the statal road Cassia which reaches from both sides Barberino val d'Elsa.

HISTORY:

The medieval town of Barberino V.E., once completely enclosed in ramparts and towers, a part of which is still visible, dates back to around 1000 AD, when it was a small town or a fortress.
Later, after the destruction of Semifonte, which was flourishing at the time, by Florence in 1202 and the following edict which forbade any rebuilding where the ruined town once was, the nearby village of Barberino was enlarged and fortified; in a short time it became an important outpost which also had a garrison defending the Florentine Republic from Siena.
Even today Barberino is on the boundary between the provinces of Florence and Siena.

In the Middle Ages these hills were important and rich because they were crossed by the via Francigena, major pilgrim, travelers, soldiers and merchants road which went from Rome to the north, and branched out towards Florence along the roman road, Cassia, which went through the centre of Barberino (now, it has been deviated to the eastern part of the ramparts) where the fourteenth century shelter "Spedale dei Pellegrini" can still be seen today.

The village, rich of small shops till the eighties, slowly emptied from the old activities which were replaced by new ones outside of the gates, leaving the ancient town voided of its traditional and commercial life. Lately, there has been the resolve to give a rebirth to the commercial core of the village, with artisanal and food service activities based on tuscan manufacture and traditional gastronomical products.

Because there is a niche tourism and a compact management among the various commercial activities, it is possible to keep offering classy products of true local manufacture. In the town there are not any second-rate goods present in the most known and attended places of tourism.