Nested on a hill with two important rivers flowing in the below valley, Vicopisano is situated in a strategic and enviable position since the Etruscan time. Florence and Pisa fought for the control over this territory that finally was conquered by Florence which transformed Vicopisano into one of its most powerful fortresses thanks to a strategic military system conceived by Brunelleschi. Restored and well kept thanks to a local cultural association run by Professor G. R. Fascetti, the Fortress is characterized by its guard-tower which is opened to the public. The small town of Vicopisano unwinds all around the Fortress: narrow streets, ancient houses and tower-houses. The parish Church of Ss. Mary and John, a beautiful example of Romanesque architecture, houses one of the rare medieval wooden "Deposition from the Cross" in Tuscany and a cycle of 13th c. frescoes representing the Life of the Virgin Mary. From the parish Church, a path leads up to the remains of the Verruca Fortress and the Monastery of Saint Michael. Every second Sunday of each month a flee market is held in Vicopisano and a Medieval reevocation takes place on the first weekend of September.

Classic tour: a stroll through the most characteristic sites of the town, including a visit of the Fortress and of the Parish Church.

The Fortress can be visited with advance booking. Open on weekends from the 25th of March to the end of November and on every second Sunday of the month.