The Museum of New Towns

The Museum of New Towns is located inside the building known as “Palazzo di Arnolfo” and recounts the phenomenon of the foundation of these brand-new settlements which were very much a feature of medieval Europe. After the year 1000, population growth, the revival of cities, and renewed trade ties ushered in a period which fostered greater progress in certain areas. Sovereigns, nobles, religious institutions and then the Comuni (Municipalities) began to extend their control over surrounding territories, resulting in a far-reaching reorganization of the population’s geographic location, from both urban and economic-social points of view. The museum pays particular attention to the development that this phenomenon saw in Tuscany and particularly in the territory of Florence where, from the end of the 13th century, the New Towns gradually came to life – including Castel San Giovanni, today San Giovanni Valdarno – while offering valuable ideas for reflecting on the concepts of city and citizenship that cut across every era and every civilization.