Articolo disponibile anche in: Italian
Mercatale val di Pesa is located between Greve and the Pesa river. In feudal times, there was a castle on the top of Mount Campolese. Markets were held in openings near the roads. Surrounding the town, there are still beautiful pine trees which attract many visitors during the hottest months.
One of these is the “Pian del melograno” (pomegranate) and the other is “La Cava”, which has been the site of the soccer field and other sporting events for years. In the past, these spaces were used first for day camps and then for “Campi solari” (solar fields).
The day camps hosted children in the 1930’s and 1940’s, when they enjoyed games and were also trained for the military. The kids took turns guarding the camp with fake muskets.
In the evening, it was the center of social life: one could dance or see a movie. Recently, (1960-1980), children spent their days as guests of the “Campi solari”, organized by the town. In those years, there was a small kiosk that sold sandwiches, “La Biscondola”.
This continued for many years and ultimately became a popular restaurant. Then, something happened; the kiosk was abandoned, knocked down and demolished.
Roberto Borghi