A
District with a Thousand Years of History
The
city of Empoli is situated on the left bank of the River Arno in
a central position between three great cities famous for
their art: Florence, Pisa and Siena. Empoli is thus part
of the Land of the Renaissance, standing on routes that are
rich in art, history and nature, with evidence of the Florentine
Renaissance to be seen on all sides. By the 11th century Empoli
had already developed around the Pieve di Sant’Andrea,
the St. Andrew’s Parish Church, as a fiefdom of the Counts
Guidi, and later submitted to the Florentine Republic. At
Empoli was held the famous Ghibelline Parliament after the
defeat of Florence at Montaperti (1260), during which the
eloquence of Farinata degli Uberti saved the Tuscan capital from
destruction. It developed in the Medici era, but suffered greatly
from the sack of the city in 1530 by the Spanish Imperial
troops.
From that event up till the second half of the 18th century Empoli
went through a period of obscurity in which it lost the characteristics
of the extremely vital centre it once had been. The reforms of the
Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo, in the mid-18th century, led
to the rebirth of the city’s economic activity and civic life.
From the middle of the 19th century onward, keeping pace with the
development of manufacturing, especially glass, there was a considerable
development of town planning and demographic growth
which led to the creation of the “ Leopold” railway
between Florence and Pisa and to the new bridge over the Arno. The
city walls and gates were demolished to make way for dwellings.
Much damaged during the Second World War, Empoli participated
in the industrial boom of the 1960s, and is today the centre of
one of the major industrial areas of Italy, in which the
age-old manufacture of glass still has a leading role alongside
services and the fashion and clothing sector .
How
to Get There
Empoli is very well connected to the principal centres in Tuscany
and to the Region’s road and rail system.
By Car
From the AI motorway, the Autostrada del Sole (Florence): turn
off at the “Firenze Signa” toll and take the “Fi-Pi-Li”
[Firenze-Pisa-Livorno] highway; then either choose the “Empoli
Est” [Empoli East] turnoff for the centre, or the “Empoli
Ovest” [Empoli West] turnoff for the industrial zone.
From the A12 motorway: If you are coming from the south,
exit at the Collesalvetti toll and take the short link road to join
the “Fi-Pi-Li” [Firenze-Pisa-Livorno] highway. If coming
from the north, exit at the “Pisa centro” [Pisa centre]
toll and take the short link road onto the “Fi-Pi-Li”
[Firenze-Pisa-Livorno] highway; then either choose the “Empoli
Est” [Empoli East] turnoff for the centre, or the “Empoli
Ovest” [Empoli West] turnoff for the industrial zone. |
Empoli
in the Tuscany Region
Facciata duecentesca della Collegiata di S. Andrea |
