Fiesole is a town and comune of Firenze province in the Italian region of Tuscany, it is situated on a hill overlooking the Arno and Mugnone valleys just 9 km northeast of Florence.

Fiesole has a population of 14.000 inhabitants and a surface of 42,11 square kilometers, it rises 295 metres above the sea level.

The town perched on a hill, its a real roof over the city of Florence, and a good place to visit to escape the heat and crowds of the town centre.

Fiesole is of Etruscan origin, as may be seen from the remains of its ancient walls, they dated around 6 century B.C. But the first recorded mention on the town dates to 283 B.C. when the town, then known as Faesulae, was conquered by the Romans. As Faesulae, it was an important Etruscan town, its geographical position made the town a strategic centre for the control of communication lines between the southern and northern Etruscan region and it was used as rampart against invasions.

From 90 B.C. the Etruscan city was turned into a typical roman city. Here a lot of new buildings were created: a new theatre with a capacity of 3000 seats, a new temple on the ruins of the Etruscan one, thermal baths.

In the early Middle Ages, Fiesole was more powerful than Florence in the valley below, and many wars arose between them. In 1010 and 1025 Fiesole was sacked by the Florentines, and in 1125 they conquered and destroyed the fortress, and gradually Florence became the more important of the two towns.

Fiesole the most beautiful hill town can offer you the best Tuscany charming holiday with Tradition, Nature and Culture of Etruscan origin.

Places to visit

Roman theater

The theater was constructed toward the end of the first century B.C., using stone excavated from the rocky slope on which the various levels of the amphitheater were progressively being laid. Shaped in a semicircle as was characteristic for theaters, it is made up of three basic parts.

Museo Archeologico

The Archeological Museum was established in its current setting in 1914, after having been housed for about thirty years in some rooms in what is now City Hall. Born as a simple deposit for the materials that were progressively coming to light in the excavations of the theater, it became an area that could be visited, a true museum, even though still without a rational organization and display of the pieces, until the decision was made to destine to it a new, larger space.

Bandini Museum

A little treasure chest of art works: this could be the definition of the Bandini Museum, which contains the collection of the Canon Angelo Maria Bandini, a complex figure historian, philologist, and collector who lived from 1726 to 1803.

Basilica di S. Alessandro

It is said to have been built in the VI century on a preceding pagan temple. It was reworked in the IX century, in 1570, in 1782, in 1814 and lastly in 1956. The three nave interior is divided by 16 columns.

San Francesco Church

It was built in the 14th century as the convent oratory of the Florentine Romite order, on the site where the ancient acropolis stood. In the 15th century it was taken over by the Franciscans and in the centuries that followed underwent numerous changes.

The Cathedral of St. Romulus

The Cathedral was built in 1028 by Bishop Jacopo Bavaro,according to legend the first Bishop of Fiesole, with materials taken from several older buildings and it contains notable sculptures by Mino da Fiesole. The old cathedral became a Benedictine abbey, and in course of time passed into the hands of the regular canons of Lateran. It once possessed a valuable library, long since dispersed. The abbey was closed in 1778.At the end of 1800 it was radically restored, with the complete reconstruction of the facade. The three nave basilican interior contains precious works of art from diverse eras.

For more information visit

• City of Fiesole
• Fiesole Musei
• Cattedrale Fiesole