A trip to Tuscany’s ‘Little Jerusalem’

The first thing to catch your attention in Pitigliano are the vertiginous tower houses erupting skywards from a volcanic ridge. Linger a little longer and you can start to appreciate the Jewish history of this dramatic medieval town known to locals as ‘la Piccola Gerusalemme’ – Little Jerusalem.

Situated on a defensible rocky outcrop, Pitigliano was for much of its history a frontier town between the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and the Papal States. Fleeing persecution in Rome, Jews began to settle there in large numbers in the 16th century, where they were welcomed by the ruling Orsini family.

Construction of the synagogue began in 1598 along with the consecration of a Jewish cemetery situated on a shaded terrace below the town. Until the early 20th century, Pitigliano Jews enjoyed more rights and freedoms than almost anywhere in central Italy and strong local bonds were formed. They were forced to flee when Italy’s fascist government passed racial laws, but there are reports of their Christian neighbours helping them escape.

At one point representing around 20 per cent of the city’s inhabitants, the Jewish community has now all but disappeared. But the Museum of Jewish Culture, established in the room said to be the first Jewish school and religious centre, paints a picture of the past. As well as the fully restored synagogue, visitors can tour the historic underground ghetto featuring the ritual bathhouse, kosher wine cellar and bakery.

I learn more about Pitigliano’s Jewish community from a copy of Edda Servi Machlin’s book, The Classic Cuisine of the Italian Jews. Born in Pitigliano in 1926, the author spent the Second World War living with partisans in the hills before finally moving to America. Illuminating any visit to Pitigliano, her vivid memoir includes menus, religious festivals and poignant descriptions of a vanished way of life.

Exploring Pitigliano’s cobbled streets, I find bakeries and gift shops still selling traditional kosher foodstuffs such as matzohs and ‘sfratti’ – fragrant walnut and honey pastries symbolising Jewish resistance. It turns out Pitigliano is also one of the most important Italian producers of kosher wines, sold – perhaps predictably – under the label ‘La Piccola Gerusalemme’.

Once you’ve taken in Pitigliano, it’s worth lingering in south-western Tuscany. Away from the blockbuster tourist attractions of Florence and Pisa in the north, this picturesque corner of the region has long been favoured by savvy Italian weekenders soaking up the exclusive ambience.

The countryside of Maremma (ASA Luxury)[Missing Credit]

The place to be is the rugged coastal region of Maremma, where fertile plains and pine forests meet blonde beaches. Footsore sightseers dipping dusty toes in the turquoise-tinged Tyrrhenian Sea can thank Leopold II, Duke of Tuscany for putting Maremma on the tourism map. By establishing a country estate there during the 18th century, he not only stamped a royal seal of approval on the region but also, unintentionally, pioneered slow Tuscan tourism.

Leopold created a ‘borgo’, or village, comprising his handsome villa, farm workers’ accommodation, stables and agricultural buildings surrounded by 500 hectares of farmland and forest. In recent years, the estate has been sympathetically yet sumptuously restored as a welcoming, family-owned boutique resort called L’Andana.

Meaning ‘tree lined drive’, L’Andana’s contemporary incarnation may shriek style and glamour but its roots are firmly planted in rural life. With vistas encompassing pastoral fields, Maremma’s famous wetlands and the nearby coast, the resort is accessed via wrought-iron gates and the titular grand drive bordered by centuries-old pines, cypress and oleander. Equally photogenic are embracing hills clad with manicured olive trees shaped liked cheerleader pom poms, and extensive vineyards producing the celebrated Tenuta La Badiola estate wines.

I’m staying in what was once Leopold’s Medici-style villa. My room, overlooking those olive groves, blends Roman villa chic with a dash of Versailles. A baronial marble fireplace, complete with carved lions and glowing log burner, is replicated in the bathroom, lending a stately vibe to long soaks in the claw-foot bath.

The luxury resort of L'Andana (ASA Travel)[Missing Credit]

Among the dining options is La Trattoria Enrico Bertolini, which has held a Michelin star since 2016. It offers a rollercoaster menu combining Tuscany’s culinary past with innovative techniques pioneered by Brazilian chef Bruno De Moura Cossio. With a focus on local ingredients, some from the estate itself, the restaurant pursues a field-to-fork ethic the Grand Duke might have applauded.

While L’Andana’s seductive charms are reason enough to stay put, daily newsletters slipped beneath my door suggest beguiling excursions beyond the gates. A description of nearby Castiglione della Pescaia, an ancient fishing port guarded by a 12th century castle embellished by Rumpelstiltskin towers, piques my curiosity.

Pausing beside a medieval gate leading to the fortress, Lorenzo, my charismatic guide, points out panoramic views across wetlands, beaches and on the horizon the islands of Elba and Giglio. Below, sleek speedboats moored in the marina and streets lined with boutiques and restaurants represent Castiglione della Pescaia’s more modern incarnation. Yet, as Lorenzo explains, the past here is ever present.

The ancient fishing port of Castiglione della Pescaia (ASA Luxury)[Missing Credit]

“Like peeling an onion, you’ll discover layers of history baked into this landscape,” he enthuses, listing Roman, Umbrian and Etruscan settlers taking advantage of the region’s pine forests, the Ombrone river’s rich floodplain and bounteous Lake Prile. In ancient times this vast salt lake, a tenth the size of the Venice Lagoon, was teeming with wildlife and protected, as it still is, from the sea by a ‘tombolo’ – a protective strip of land.

‘It was like having a well-stocked free supermarket on your doorstep,’ Lorenzo observes. ‘Why risk stormy seas and marauding pirates, when you could trade precious salt and scoop supper from the lagoon?’

By the Middle Ages the lake, compromised and diminished by river silt, became a swampy lagoon colonised by mosquitoes. Castiglione’s desperate population begged for support from Siena, Aragon and the Medici family, but it was only when the city became part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany that prospects improved. Initiated by Leopold II, projects designed to drain the swamp and increase the amount of arable land proved successful and the mosquitoes were eliminated.

Overlooking that former swamp, the Red House built by Leopold in 1769 may look manorial, but Italianate architecture cunningly conceals a system of sluice gates. By controlling the flow of water, this previously inhospitable area has been transformed into an important nature reserve. Lorenzo hands me his binoculars and points out flamingos, herons and egrets. “These wetlands are not only home to endangered species, but a beautiful tranquil haven for migrating birds,” he says.

Tuscany’s incomparable city architecture and artistic splendours may represent the region’s beating heart, but its mercurial soul belongs to Maremma.

Beverley Byrne was a guest of L’Andana, which offers double rooms from €440 per night, including breakfast. More information at www.andana.it