Crespina: Villas, Art and Owl Traditions

If you’re looking for a hotel in Crespina, it’s worth exploring what makes the town distinctive: grand historic villas, art and a unique owl tradition. There’s also the Antichissima Fiera delle Civette, held every year on the feast day of Saint Michael. This gives you a clear distinction for planning your trip between enduring cultural highlights and an event tied to a particular feast day.

Villas and Art in Crespina

Since the late 18th century, Crespina has been characterized by grand historic villas. Villa Belvedere enjoys a panoramic setting and features an English garden and a limonaia (citrus house). Villa Corsini Valdisonzi is one of Crespina’s notable villas. Villa Il Poggio is among the 18th- and 19th-century historic villas associated with Crespina Lorenzana; it formerly served as an exhibition venue. The villa landscape is also associated with the painters Giovanni Battista Tempesti, Silvestro Lega and Giovanni Fattori, who are considered part of the Macchiaioli movement.

The Collezione Carlo Pepi is a distinctive art highlight. It focuses on the Macchiaioli, their successors and Fattori’s students, and comprises around 10,000 works by 1,500 artists. The collection is displayed in two villas in Crespina: one is on Via I Gioielli, the other on Piazza Battisti. Its scale and artistic focus provide two different points of reference: the figures convey the size of the collection, while its connection to the Macchiaioli describes its subject focus.

The Chiesa di San Michele Arcangelo also offers a specific art-historical point of interest. Between 1950 and 1954, Antonio Gaioni created the depictions “Storie di Cristo e di San Michele” on the church nave ceiling, dome and apse. Unlike the wide-ranging collection, this is a named pictorial cycle with a clearly defined period of creation and specific locations within the church.

Antichissima Fiera delle Civette and the Owl Tradition

The Antichissima Fiera delle Civette is listed in the regional register of historic fairs. It takes place in Crespina every year on the feast day of Saint Michael. The fair includes a historical and natural history walk; the owl park can also be visited as part of the event. If you’d like to include the owl fair in your travel plans, this annual feast day is the relevant date to bear in mind.

The local owl tradition is connected to the historical practice of keeping trained owls for lark hunting. A bronze monument to the owl, created by sculptor Angelo Biancini, is also located in Crespina. The Centro Allevamento Civette has two further aspects: it breeds owls in captivity and has been converted into an open-air park for the care of protected species. Together with the walk and the owl park during the fair, these features show how owls appear in Crespina both in historical accounts and in tangible local landmarks.

Hills and Wine

The hills of Crespina and Lorenzana are shaped by numerous waterways and support local wine production. Both places are also on the Colline Pisane Wine Trail. These regional features complement the villas and art with an agricultural and landscape perspective; they relate to Crespina and Lorenzana together. When choosing your destination, you can therefore consider whether to focus mainly on art and villa history, the date of the owl fair, or the wine and landscape.

The annual fair provides a set occasion for planning a trip; the villas, collection, church and hills offer further themes that shape the destination’s character independently of the event date.

Discover more destinations: Siberia, Tripalle, Calci, Santa Croce Sull'arno, Miemo, Chianni, Terricciola, Montescudaio.

For the wider travel overview: Pisa.