Holiday apartment in Empoli: Museums, Pontormo and Countryside

Empoli combines its historic centre with museums, Casa del Pontormo and scenic spots in the surrounding area. If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Empoli, you will find topics here for different days of travel: religious art, the history of glassmaking, palaeontology, historic sites and a cycling route through the city. This allows you to plan your days around culture, landscapes and outdoor activities.

Art, Glass and Earth History

The Museo della Collegiata di Sant’Andrea was founded in 1859 and is one of Italy’s oldest religious museums. It preserves several masterpieces from the churches of the Empoli Piviere, dating from the 13th to the 17th century. The collection therefore spans several centuries of religious art.

The Museo del vetro di Empoli is housed in the Magazzino del Sale, one of the city’s oldest buildings, whose construction dates back to 1365. The exhibition focuses on the glass industry, which strongly shaped Empoli’s cityscape and local economic development. The Museo Civico di Paleontologia preserves and displays fossils and rocks from around the world, which together document the last 2 billion years of Earth’s history.

Historic Centre and Pontormo

Empoli’s historic centre is grouped around Piazza Farinata degli Uberti. Casa del Pontormo is located in Pontorme, a district of Empoli. Jacopo Carucci, known as Pontormo, was born there in 1494 and spent his youth there.

Casa del Pontormo uses the multimedia installation “Quiete, silenzio e solitudine” to present Pontormo’s biography and artistic career as an immersive experience. It also displays facsimiles of preparatory drawings for the Pala dei Santi Giovanni Evangelista e Michele Arcangelo.

Places and Landscapes in the Surrounding Area

In the immediate surroundings of Empoli are Palazzo Pretorio, a palace, and Santuario Madonna Del Pozzo, a church. Further afield in the region are the ancient site of Da Bobo All'acciaiolo and Fiorelli Palace. La Cupola is a summit in the wider area around Empoli.

The hills of I Fornelli, Sasso Regina and Poggio Papinta are located around Empoli. They complement the city’s cultural themes with scenic points of reference, without necessarily implying a uniform character for excursions.

Holiday apartment in Empoli: Culture, Landscapes and Cycling Route

For cycling enthusiasts, the Grand Tour della Toscana in bicicletta - da Siena verso Pisa e Firenze route passes through Empoli and uses sections of the Ciclovia dell’Arno that have already been completed. When choosing a holiday apartment in Empoli, you can therefore set your personal priorities between museums and historic sites, the surrounding hills or this cycling route. If a travel group brings together different interests, the combination of urban history, art, earth history and landscapes offers several starting points for planning your own days.

Further Places to Consider

You can also include Osteria Bianca in your personal selection of places.

For the higher-level travel overview: Florence.

More Destinations

More places under the same destination:

Le Quattro Strade, Montaione, Cerreto Guidi, Romita, Spedaletto, Impruneta, Montecarelli.