Coming from Florence, after reaching San Miniato you arrive in Valdelsa and here there is not only the poignant landscape to see but also some small, enchanting villages. Certaldo it is certainly unmissable, even more unmissable 16 from July to 20 when the Mercantia festival will take place there for the 27th year.
To understand the magic of the festival you need to understand the magic of the place. This village also stands on a hill, facing the climb on foot to reach it you can see how picturesque the surrounding landscape is, but to reassure those who do not like to walk, you can go up with a funicular practice. The climb to the top is also a journey through time, because Certaldo is a medieval village and the atmospheres are magical. The material symbol of the town is the Palazzo Pretorio, a brick building whose facade is covered with coats of arms and plaques, in marble or stone or glazed terracotta: each coat of arms represents the family of the Vicar who was in office at the time. The building is a museum and can be visited, it is also home to temporary art exhibitions.
The immaterial symbol of Certaldo is instead a man, a poet, Giovanni Boccaccio which was born here in 1313. Reference figure for toponymy, cultural events, signs along with the various characters of the Decameron, around Boccaccio the celebrations for the 700th anniversary of his birth have just ended and his house, even if it is no longer the original building, is a museum and home to a center for studies on his work and on his person.
The squares of Certaldo, its views of the Valdelsan countryside, the churches are a poem. Mercantia, which fills this microcosm with 30.000 visitors (2013 data) fits perfectly into these atmospheres. The festival was born as a showcase of street theater, with jugglers, mimes, fire eaters, mini theatrical performances, dancers. In the numerous editions it is refined, creating many themes that satisfy all tastes: from theater for the few in confined spaces such as secret gardens, to the lively performances of street bands, from acrobats who float among the ancient houses, to masked dancers.
For five days, at nightfall and during the night, the atmospheres become fairytale, unreal; at every corner there is something to see, you stop, sit down, under a starry sky. The festival is also very popular and colorful, because the influx of visitors is dense, like the presence of the artists. For the 2014 edition the theme is The Feast of Miracles: the best groups that have ever trod the stages or rather the streets of Certaldo will meet. But Mercantia is not just a show, the whole village is transformed into a market, where Tuscan artisans and not only put their stalls to sell the fruits of creativity, while making them as they did in the ancient world where they lived more in road, leather, stone and wood are worked.
Then Mercantia is an appointment that you cannot miss: to visit Certaldo, to immerse yourself in the past, to absorb the creativity of man in the artisan and artistic field. But also, of course, to taste the good local cuisine, where the Certaldo onion stands out, a sweet variety that will be prepared in the dishes of the five days. To go and eat I recommend theOsteria da Chichibio, a large room with some outdoor tables, where traditional dishes of Tuscan cuisine are served but also delicious platters of cheeses and mixed cold cuts of many different types. The place is located - try to say? - in via Boccaccio.
As for Mercantia, it is in all respects a show, so it is necessary to pay a ticket to access the village during the five days of the festival. Ticket prices vary between 10 and 20 euros depending on the day (higher price on Friday and Saturday); it is absolutely impossible to reach the town by car, which must be left in Certaldo basso, the newest part of the town which also participates, in a less fascinating way, in the great Mercantia festival.
