CASTEL S.NICCOLO', MONTEMIGNAIO
Going from Poppi towards Castel San Niccolò, you come to the plain of CAMPALDINO on the right. It was here that, on 11 June 1289, the Battle of Campaldino took place in which the forces of Arezzo were defeated by the Florentine army. This was the moment when fortune smiled on Florence’s dream of expanding through Tuscany, and the dream continued until the 16th century. In front of the battlefield stands the Chiesa di Certomondo which was constructed by the Counts Guidi, together with the adjoining but now disused monastery, in 1262, to commemorate the Ghibelline victory in the Battle of Montaperti in which Siena defeated Florence. The church, with a single nave and trussed ceiling, has an Annunciation by Neri di Bicci from 1466 on the left-hand presbytery wall. Outside, there is a beautiful 15th-century cloister, part of which is closed.
Proceeding west, you reach Montemignaio , a village which is dominated by the imposing Castel Leone which Frederick Barbarossa presented to the Counts Guidi. In the village, you will see the Pieve di Santa Maria Assunta, which dates back to the year 1000. The nave is separated from the two aisles by columns with splendid capitals and conserves valuable works of art, including a painting from the school of Ghirlandaio and a terracotta in the della Robbia style.
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