Fucecchio is situated half way between Florence and Pisa. It lies on the right bank of the Arno near the natural basin of the Padule, or Wetlands, from which it has taken its name, and also near the hilly Cerbaie area.

Its origins date back to the 10th century and its development was helped by the Bonfiglio bridge, which allowed travellers passing along the Via Francigena to cross the river, and also by the presence of the Castle of Salamarzana, the seats of the Cadolingi Counts, one of the most powerful feudal noble families of Tuscany.

The current street plan of the village dates back to the second half of the 13th century and the early 14th century, when the increasing population required a second city wall, the Podesta Palace and the square which it still overlooks.

The 14th century towers of the Florentine Fortress, which have recently been restored, are in the park of the ex Palazzo Corsini. This whole area serves to create a green oasis in the heart of the old town and this is where the Biblioteca comunale, the Museo civico and the Archivio storico are to be found.

On the Poggio Salamartano, a beautiful panoramic point over the Lower Valdarno, we can find the 12th century Vallombrosan Abbazia di S. Salvatore and the Collegiata di S. Giovanni church. The Palazzo Montanelli-Della Volta, which is now the seat of the Fondazione Montanelli-Bassi, has medieval origins and was re-organised in the 16th-17th century.

It is important to note the Medicean Ponte Cappiano, ordered to be built by Cosimo I around the middle of the 16th century. The 16th century Franciscan convent, known as the Chiesa della Vergine alle cinque vie is also worth visiting, with its frescoed cloister by Carlini, the oratory of Madonna della Ferruzza, with a valuable fresco from the 15th century Florentine school and the Church of Santa Maria delle Vedute with its beautiful Baroque ceiling, built in the 18th century.