| MONTAIONE TOWN
(Florence)  Montaione overlooks one of the most atmospheric panoramas
of Tuscany and is half way between the Valleys of the Egola
and Elsa rivers on a 350-metre hill.
Several archaeological
sites bear witness to the fact that Etruscan and Roman
colonies were found in the area. Of interest are the remains
in the Muraccio locality of the Roman Cistern, presumably
from the 2nd century AD, measuring 27 metres by 3 metres
and divided into three rectangular pools. It is not far
from the residential area connected to the Medici villa
of Sant’Antonio. There are also traces of the Paleo-Christian
age in the church of San Biagio, with a well-preserved
crypt, 500 metres from the village.
 Civic Museum of Montaione Montaione sightseeing
Address: Via Cresci 15 Montaione.
The recently inaugurated Civic Museum, displays archaeological
finds, mineral and fossils recovered in the territory
of Montaione, as well as an interesting collection of
prehistoric stone objects.
Originating from the area of Santo Stefano, to the north
of Montaione, are a large number of archaeological finds,
including a two-raced mash in red jasper confirming the
human frequentation of this are in the lower Palaeolithic
period (about 100.000 year ago).
Donated to the Montaione Town Concil in 1981 by Valeria
Morelli Gualterotti, they originate from various settlements
in Libya, in particular from the Sahara area of Fezzan
(south western Libya) and from the coasts of Cyrene and
Tripoli, and include an Egyptian wooden mask datable within
the fourth dynasty (3 rd millennium b.C.)
At the entrance to the Museum we find the remains of a
whale, discovered in 1980 in Castelfalfi of the type donned
as 'Balaena Montalionis' and dating to approximately three
and half millions years ago.
The bronze pendulum pendant of Sardinian production, dating
to a period between the ninth and eighth century b.C.,
confirm the existence of important contact between inland
Etruria and the coast, where materials of Nuraghic production
are known. Hellenistic settlements in the area of Santo
Stefano are confirmed by a considerable quantity of black-paint
ceramics.
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