Quarrata

Quarrata is the economic and administrative centre of a territory divided into two geographically distinct areas. The first, hilly, extends on the north-eastern slopes of Montalbano, a mountain range between the provinces of Pistoia, Prato, and Florence. The second, flat, is included in the Ombrone Valley.

Perhaps of Roman origin, the first mention of Quarrata dates back to 997, in a diploma of Otto III. In the second half of the eighteenth century the castles of Buriano, Campiglio, Ferruccia, Lucciano, Montemagno, Vignole and Valenzatico were united in the community of Tizzana, the castle located on the slopes of Montalbano that dominates the plain up to Florence. Between the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century the seat of the municipality was moved to the plain and, in 1959, the community was officially called Quarrata.

Today Quarrata has a predominantly modern appearance, organized around Piazza Risorgimento, at the centre of which stands the War Memorial by the sculptor Agenore Fabbri.

Do not miss the Medici Villa La Magia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2013, along with other Tuscan Medici Villas and Gardens.