CERTALDO

certaldo, a town of tuscany, italy, in the province of florence, 35 m. s.s.w. by rail and 18 m. direct from the town of florence. pop. (1901) town, 4552; commune, 9120. it was the home of the family of giovanni boccaccio, who died and was buried here in 1375. his house (of red brick, like the other old houses of the town) was restored in 1823 and fitted up with old furniture. a statue of him was erected in the principal square in 1875. the palazzo pretorio, or vicariale, the residence of the florentine governors, recently restored to its original condition, has a picturesque facade and court adorned with coats of arms, and in the interior are various frescoes dating from the 13th to the 16th century. the town as a whole is picturesque, and lies on a hill 426 ft. above sea-level. see r. pantini, _s. gimignano e certaldo_ (bergamo, 1904), p. 101 seq.