The Church of Cristo Re, Gambassi

For those coming from Castelfiorentino along the Via Volterrana, or the pilgrims coming into town on foot following the Via Francigena, the bulk of the Church of Cristo Re dominates on the right, turning its back to the magnificent panorama that opens out over the Valdelsa.

This church was built in 1940, and today is the town’s religious centre. Inside, its walls conserve numerous paintings from the 1500s to the 1700s. Among them, Saint Sebastian Between Two Saints by Baccio Gorini, a Florentine painter who made his fortune in Sardinia in the 1500s, thanks to a narrative flair of simple but sincere devotion.

On the counter-façade, you may see two paintings from the ancient church of Saint Jacob. The Virgin with Child on throne with Saints John, Francis, Matthew and Jacob is attributed to Pier Francesco Fiorentino, a painter who studied with Benozzo Gozzoli and collaborated with Ghirlandaio; The Madonna with Saints John the Baptist and Girolamo is a work by Biagio di Antonio, a Florentine painter who contributed to the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel between 1481 and 1482.