Collodi Village

From the splendid facade of the villa Garzoni, step filled streets wind through the steeply rising 12th century medieval village. Atop is dominated by the ancient rock and the church of San Bartolomeo, begun in the 13th century, many times altered and housing 15th century frescoes and terracotta statues. Spilling down the hillside and into the theatrical garden Garzoni, a sloping spot made use of with a series of dramatic Baroque staircases and accompanying marble statuary. In 1786, the garden was re-designed by the architect Ottaviano Diotati in collaboration with Romano Garzoni. Featuring an open air theatre, pools, waterfalls, statues and a maze, made more colourful in spring and summer when flowers are in bloom. Remnants of the walls at which once surrounded the castle can still be seen. Collodi is best known for the author of the ‘The Adventures of Pinocchio’ Carlo Collodi; boasts 3 attractions: Villa Garzoni & gardens, Monumental Park of Pinocchio, which was designed to exemplify the story of the puppet, and the Butterfly House. ‘When you wish upon a star’ was the song used in the original ‘Pinocchio’ movie by Walt Disney in 1940. Special thanks to Steve Ambielli for allowing me to use this beautiful track to help illustrate this fairytale village. For better viewing, play video in HD full-screen. LINKS www.pinocchio.it