Campiglia Marittima is a well preserved medieval town not far from the Tuscan coast south east of Livorno.There are lots of wonderful winding laneways and stone arches to explore. We wandered through on a lovely spring day.
I found a fine collection of doorways.
In the centre of town is the Palazzo Pretorio dating from the 13th century. The outside of the building is covered with 65 crests of the Capitani del Popolo.
The ruin of a castle sits at the top of the town. La Rocca was built between the 12th and 14th centuries, possibly on the site of an earlier castle or fort. Until the end of the 13th century the buildings were inhabited by the Della Gherardesca family who were responsible for turning a group of huts into a village.
There isn’t much left of the castle, but there are some excellent views from the top.
The Church of San Giovanni sits just outside the main group of houses in the town. It is surrounded by a graveyard in a lovely garden setting.
The church stands on a bare platform…I have not seen a church like this anywhere else. It is quite stark, but there are some interesting statues and stone carvings.
Around the church of San Giovanni are some strange symbols. On the ground in front of the church door is paved with what is undoubtedly a tombstone. This bears various inscriptions and a very curious central motif; an androgynous body which is male below the waist, female above. The figure seems to be holding a torch in its right hand, while supporting itself against a board.
The same figure, but more distinct is to be found on the house at number 4 Via B.Buozzi in the village. Here the figure seems to be holding a number 3 rather than a torch. The figure is a bit of a mystery…perhaps it was an early pizza shop and he/ she was ordering 3 pizzas.
Campiglia Marittima is well worth a visit…see if you can work out what is the meaning of the figure.