Museo e area archeologica di San Genesio

The museum and archaeological area of San Genesio preserve evidence of the settlement in the plain below San Miniato. Excavated buildings and finds trace a history extending from antiquity into the Middle Ages.

Why it matters

San Genesio stood at an important meeting point of roads and trade. Its relationship with the fortified hill town ended in destruction in 1248, making the site a significant counterpart to San Miniato's surviving monuments.

What to notice

The remains of the Romanesque pieve include its three-apsed crypt, with surviving architectural elements and a central stone structure interpreted in connection with the keeping of relics. Reused ancient stonework illustrates the movement of material between successive buildings. The museum also holds objects from the settlement and grave goods from the Etruscan necropolis of Fonte Vivo.

Context and history

The early medieval settlement was known as vicus Wallari and later as Burgum Sancti Genesii. Markets, assemblies and traffic on the Via Francigena contributed to its importance. San Miniato destroyed the borgo in 1248, although the church initially survived. University of Pisa excavations beginning in 2001 recovered further evidence of the site's long and varied development.