Our villas in Tuscany hills of Pisa
On the Pisan Hills, Crespina is a gentle countryside: soft hills, olive groves, orderly rows of vines, and cypress-lined avenues. Its history is ancient: a document from 983 attests to its existence; in 1115 it passed under Lucca, then under Pisa; in 1431, after an uprising, it was elevated to a Podesteria dependent on the Vicariate of Lari. Of the castle only memories remain, but between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the landscape was enriched with manor houses and holiday residences, so much so that already in the eighteenth century Crespina was described as “the most delightful part of the Pisan Hills”.
Tuscany hills of Pisa
On the Pisan Hills, Crespina is a gentle countryside: soft hills, olive groves, orderly rows of vines, and cypress-lined avenues. Its history is ancient: a document from 983 attests to its existence; in 1115 it passed under Lucca, then under Pisa; in 1431, after an uprising, it was elevated to a Podesteria dependent on the Vicariate of Lari. Of the castle only memories remain, but between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the landscape was enriched with manor houses and holiday residences, so much so that already in the eighteenth century Crespina was described as “the most delightful part of the Pisan Hills”.
In the nineteenth century many residences became artistic salons, frequented by the Macchiaioli; among the names, Giovanni Fattori, Silvestro Lega, Telemaco Signorini, Luigi Gioli and Giorgio Kienerk. Even today the architecture tells of that atmosphere: Villa Belvedere (with oratory, English garden and limonaia), Villa Corsini Valdisonzi with its park and its two façades, Villa Il Poggio and the Carlo Pepi villa-museum, the only one currently open to visitors. It is a landscape of clear light and measured horizons, where the countryside retains a stately character.
The climate is mild and airy: the breezes that rise from the coastal plains and the small streams make summers lighter and winters temperate. These are ideal conditions for vineyards and olive groves. The wine tradition is documented as early as the Camaldolese Annals; today pleasant reds and whites are produced, and in nearby Cenaia specialized nurseries operate where young grapevines are grown for the region’s vineyards. The surrounding woods are rich in wild herbs and easy trails for walks or cycling.
Nearby, Pontedera is the go-to town for daily needs—shops and supermarkets, cafés and pastry shops—and the Piaggio Museum; from Pontedera–Casciana Terme station, frequent trains to Pisa and Florence make day trips easy.
SURROUNDINGS
From Crespina the world opens up naturally: 25 km from Pisa International Airport and 30 km from the port of Livorno, the quiet of the hills meets the convenience of quick departures toward Italy and the Mediterranean. The Versilia sea is close by; in less than an hour you arrive in Forte dei Marmi, with its orderly beaches, historic bathing establishments, boutiques along the seafront and that light atmosphere that invites slow days and elegant evenings.
A few kilometers are enough to change the scene. Pisa welcomes with the magic of Piazza dei Miracoli — the Leaning Tower, the Cathedral and the Baptistery — and with the Lungarni, where historic palaces are reflected in the river. Lucca is an embrace of intact Renaissance walls to be walked or cycled along: inside, Piazza dell’Anfiteatro, the Guinigi Tower and an interweaving of churches and quiet streets. Florence, heart of the Renaissance, offers the power of Brunelleschi’s Dome, the Uffizi, Ponte Vecchio and an unrivaled sequence of palaces and museums.
In this compact geography, the day can begin among rows of vines and olive trees, continue between art and sea, and end in the silence of the hills: everything is within reach, without giving up the serenity of the countryside.