niques are here illustrated through the materials and tools on display, stressing in particular the stone-cutters’ skilfulness and hard work. Now, through the gate named Porta Bolognese we can head for Cornacchiaia, where it is possible to visit the Parish Church of San Giovanni Battista Decollato, which, despite its having been much altered, shows clear traces of its medieval structure datable to the second half of the 13th century. The church was erected along the route of the ancient transapennine road passing through the Osteria Bruciata Pass and parallel with the Parish Church of Sant’Agata, located beyond the pass. The two churches have various decorative and architectural elements in common, including the peculiar structure of the wooden roofing which unfortunately no longer exists. Now we proceed towards the Futa Pass (903 m above sea level) where stands the monumental Cimitero di guerra germanico, namely the German War Cemetery, the work of the German architect Oesterlen, which was inaugurated in 1962. The cemetery contains the remains of over three thousand soldiers, fallen on the Italian front during the Second World War. Their graves are all marked by identical granite slabs. This complex covers an area of approximately twelve hectares; the enclosure wall is in the shape of a spiral which winds round the mountain to end up facing a gabled wall raising skywards. Back to the Futa crossroads we turn left in the direction of Bologna and reach the little village of Bruscoli where
we find the small but significant Museo etnografico, that is the Ethnographic Museum, founded by the local archaeological group which has gathered numerous artefacts related to the settlement’s social and economic history ranging from archaeological finds and peasants’ or craftsmen’s tools to war relics found along the Gothic Line. A third tour starts from Scarperia and runs through the municipal district of Borgo San Lorenzo reaching the most important villages on this side of the Sieve River as well as the main centre itself. The first stop will be Luco di Mugello which can be reached from Scarperia following two different routes: either skirting the Autodromo del Mugello, namely the Mugello motor racing circuit, or heading for Senni. Here, it is worth making a short stop to visit the small Church of San Giovanni, which is, unfortunately, hardly ever open but is anyway very lovely to look at from the outside. The church is fronted by a spacious 15th-century portico. This church is also the place of origin of Perugino’s panel representing The Virgin Mary and Child with Saints John the Baptist and Sebastian. At the fork, level with the Palagiaccio – a country seat, with a battlemented tower, erected where a castle of the Ubaldinis, a noble family from Senni, used to rise – we turn left to reach Luco di Mugello. This was for centuries the seat of the prestigious monastero femminile di San Pietro or Nunnery of San Pietro. The Camaldolese convent, whose foundation we also owe to the Ubaldini family, became increasingly wealthy and powerful english version
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