Montelupo Fiorentino is just outside of Florence, in a verdant area where the Pesa creek meets the River Arno. Numerous finds, now displayed at the Archeological Museum, attest that Montelupo and its surroundings have been inhabited since prehistoric times, and later also by Etruscan and Roman settlers. Since its origins, it was well known for its remarkable ceramic production, which brings tradition and modernity together in high-quality products with unique designs.
Several ceramics workshops are still open today, carrying on the town’s history of craftsmanship with skill and entrepreneurial spirit; one of the goals of the Museum of Ceramics is to preserve and celebrate the memory of this art form.
Montelupo also boasts the majestic Villa Medicea dell’Ambrogiana, standing on the left bank of the Arno, the river that passes through Florence and flows into the Ligurian Sea at Marina di Pisa, near Livorno. The Villa is located in a large park and it used to be one of the hunting lodges that belonged to the House of Medici, as well as the favorite residence of Cosimo III.