Gambassi Terme Travel Guide

The territory of the Commune of Gambassi has been inhabited since Neolithic times, but the period of largest population was during the Etruscan-Roman age, as witnessed by the many archaeological finds in various locations. In ancient times it was certainly "land of passage": for the Etruscans, as it was on their line of march and under the dominion of Volterra; for the Romans it was close to the Via Clodia between Siena and Lucca and in the High Middle Ages it was important for travellers and especially pilgrims on the Via Francigena.

An important stop-over location was the Parish church of Santa Maria a Chianni, which dates back to the end of the 12th century (may be viewed by asking at the presbytery), a valuable example of Romanesque parish church with influences from the Pisan Romanesque style.

Recent archaeological research has pinpointed many sites in the territory and the main town where, between Mediaeval and modern times, the Gambassi "glass-makers" produced objects that were famous and popular throughout Italy. The existence of this important craft activity was known from written sources, but it is now possible to observe the places, the furnaces and the products themselves. The objects are held in a permanent exhibition in the Palazzo Comunale.