Antico Spedale del Bigallo

Along the old Via Aretina, which once connected Florence with Arezzo through the Valdarno, at the beginning of the 13th century a small shelter was built by the noble benefactor Dioticidiede di Bonaguida del Dado close to a spring, a hospice where wayfarers and pilgrims could find shelter and refreshment from the hardships of the journey.

It is the hospice of Santa Maria a Fonteviva or Bigallo, which clearly recalls in its name the source of water where it was built, while the origin of the term 'Bigallo' is completely uncertain.

From 1245 the building and its reception functions were managed by the newly founded Major Company of the Blessed Virgin Mary, called, precisely, of Bigallo. In the following decades the arrival of some cloistered nuns brought about a profound change in the expedition, both in architectural terms - with the creation of a suggestive 'hortus conclusus' surrounded by high walls of the beautiful monumental kitchen, with a large fireplace supported by small columns and the ancient stone sink still visible today.

Today, after a careful restoration, Bigallo has recovered its original function, becoming a charming hostel with a view of Florence