Pieve a Pacina near Castelnuovo Berardenga

Pieve a Pacina

Pieve a Pacina

An ancient parish church near Castelnuovo Berardenga

The parish church at Pacina (Pieve a Pacina), located near Castelnuovo Berardenga, is worth a visit by anyone interested in the Romanesque churches of Chianti. It is documented from a remarkably early date (650 AD) and has a very unusual, cylindrical campanile which is probably a remnant of the original structure.

The early mediaeval church of Santa Maria a Pacina
The early mediaeval church of Santa Maria a Pacina

The Pieve a Pacina is an ancient structure with pre-Romanesque elements that was later modified in Baroque style. The superb Romanesque architecture that has survived dates to the 11 C. On the external part of the walls of the raised central nave, hanging arches are separated by engaged pilasters in groups of three or six. Some of the groups are set widely apart to accommodate windows, now sealed up. The bell tower (campanile) displays horizontal courses of stone separated by bands of pebbles and bricks, evidence of the influence of Ravenna that was a factor in the diocese of Arezzo throughout the entire 11 C. The campanile is cylindrical, a unique or at least very rare sight on a Romanesque parish church in Chianti.

More about the Pieve a Pacino.

More about the parish churches of Chianti.

More about Castelnuovo Berardenga.