Empoli
Empoli, in the lower Arno valley between Florence and Pisa, is a Tuscan town on the river Arno: Piazza Farinata degli Uberti, the...
Updated 19 July 2026
This season · July · Summer
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The story
The story of Empoli
Introduction and location
Empoli lies in the province of Florence, in the flat stretch of countryside known as the lower Arno valley, along the course of the river Arno, roughly halfway between Florence and Pisa. This position, historically favoured by the river's navigability and by road and rail connections, turned the town into a commercial and industrial hub of the Valdarno. The historic centre gathers around Piazza Farinata degli Uberti, the civic and religious heart of the town, while the surrounding municipal territory stretches between cultivated plains and the first foothills of the Montalbano hills, north of the Arno.
History
Empoli's origins date back to the early Middle Ages, when the settlement grew up along the Arno in a strategic position for trade between Florence and the sea. The town's name is linked to the Ghibelline Uberti family: according to tradition, it was in Empoli that Farinata degli Uberti, the commander recalled by Dante in the Inferno, opposed the destruction of Florence after the battle of Montaperti, an episode commemorated in the name of the main square. Over the centuries the town consolidated its role as an agricultural market and, later, as a manufacturing centre, developing in particular a glassmaking industry that has shaped its economy to this day.
Nature and landscape
The landscape around Empoli is shaped by the river Arno, which crosses the plain of the lower Arno valley between farmland and tree-lined banks, and by the Montalbano hills, rising north of the river towards Vinci and Carmignano. This hilly ridge is covered with olive groves, vineyards and woods, dotted with small villages and crossed by scenic roads that offer views over the valley below. The contrast between the river plain, once shaped by agriculture and by trade linked to navigation on the Arno, and the hilly Montalbano landscape gives a typical picture of the Tuscan countryside around Florence.
Things to do
The best way to discover Empoli is a walk through the historic centre, starting from Piazza Farinata degli Uberti, overlooked by the Collegiata di Sant'Andrea with its Romanesque façade in white and green marble. Next to the church, the Museo della Collegiata di Sant'Andrea houses artworks linked to the town's religious history, including material connected to the painter Jacopo Carrucci, known as Pontormo, who was born in nearby Pontorme. Another route leads to the Museo del Vetro di Empoli, dedicated to the local glassmaking tradition, while those with more time can head on to the Montalbano hills for a day out among villages and rural landscapes.
Flavours and traditions
Empoli's most distinctive craft tradition is glassmaking, an activity that shaped the local economy for generations and is now told through the collections of the Museo del Vetro. On the culinary side, Empoli belongs to the rustic cuisine of the Valdarno and the Florentine countryside, with products linked to the olive oil of the Montalbano hills and to the vineyards surrounding the town. Convivial occasions tied to the area, from town markets to seasonal events, remain a direct way to get to know the traditions of this part of Tuscany, halfway between Florence and the Pisan countryside.
Not to be missed
- Piazza Farinata degli Uberti and the Collegiata di Sant'Andrea, with its Romanesque white and green marble façade
- Museo della Collegiata di Sant'Andrea, with works linked to the town's religious history
- Museo del Vetro di Empoli, dedicated to the local glassmaking tradition
- Pontorme, the birthplace of the painter Jacopo Carrucci, known as Pontormo
- The Montalbano hills, among olive groves, vineyards and panoramic villages
To see
What to see in Empoli
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