In the heart of the province of Pistoia, in Tuscany, lies Collodi Castle (Collodi Castello), a village with a fairy-tale atmosphere. Steep slopes, rugged climbs, picturesque cottages enveloped in an almost magical aura and verdant paths welcome visitors to this small village. This small hamlet of Collodi appears faintly in the distance, remote and almost uninhabited, seemingly lost in time and space. It dates back to the 12th century, and still retains the charm of its immortal stone buildings and hard cobblestones. Along the narrow streets, you can find mysterious symbols engraved on the pavement, that have resisted the passing of the centuries.
A walk in the village of Collodi Castle
Collodi Castle is enclosed within the remains of medieval fortified structures. They once belonged to the powerful Ghibelline family of Garzoni, whose majestic Villa still stands today. The village is a cluster of houses clinging to the slope of a steep hill. At the highest point, the entrance is marked by an improvised opening in the walls, flanked by a bell tower and another tower in ruins.
From here, a descent begins through small, steep streets, leading to a square. It is overlooked by the ancient parish church of San Bartolomeo. Continuing downhill, you finally reach Piazza della Fontana, so called because of the presence of a public wash house.
On the paved floors of almost all the streets in the village, someone engraved game boards and symbols. Most of them are concentrated in Piazza della Fontana, where you can see numerous graffiti of the Merels Board, or the pattern for the game of Filetto, alquerque, some crosses and other distinctive marks that are still being studied.
We do not know who has left all these testimonies. However, since Collodi began as a military village, it is likely that soldiers spent their time playing games of Filetto and Alquerque on the paving stones. The Merels board, in fact, is the exact board for the game of Filetto. There are also those who hypothesise a deeper meaning linked to occult knowledge: is it possible that Collodi Castle still conceals symbolism unknown to us?
Samuele Corrente Naso
