After having breakfast with our landlord Irene at one of the establishments in town, we set off later in the day for Castelnuovo Beradenga and the ancient village of San Gusme.  It began raining as soon as we left the village of Pergine Valdarno.  Castelnuovo, which means “new castle” was built in 1366.  We stopped there and explored the town square and took note of the Church of the Madonna del Patrocinio which displays a painted and glazed terracotta Madonna from the 1300’s.  You can see it in the background of this picture (and no, I’m not talking about the two ladies in the foreground dressed in black):

We went into the only business open during the pausa, a bar, where they made us sandwiches and we ate inside to stay out of the rain.  Finishing the sandwiches I suggested that it MIGHT be too cold to eat gelato right now.  You would have thought I told them that someone just shot President Kennedy.  Okay, okay, let’s get some gelato.  With gelato now in hand we head back in the cold rain for the safety of our BMW to eat our precious treat in the confines of the car.  Once the gelato craving was sated, we set off for the tiny hilltop village of San Gusme.  Documentation of this village dates back to the year 867.  It is absolutely spectacular and quaint as the following photos show.

This little statuette at the entrance to San Gusme depicts a squatting man doing his business.  On the commemorative plate next to it, the translation in English says, “King, emperor, pope, philosopher, farmer and worker: a man doing his daily functions.  Do not laugh, think only of yourself.”

Climbing back in the car we tried to find our way back to Pergine Valdarno, our village.  Here are some of the sights: