The medieval hamlet of Collodi can be found just over 50km from Villa La Bianca. The tumultuous history of Collodi is marked by events pertaining to the Garzoni family, which, according to historians, has a strong similarity to the Uberti family of Florence. This ancient village, with origins in the 12th Century, resembles a cascade of small houses rolling down a steep slope. Collodi has been awarded the Orange Flag, a recognition of quality awarded by the Touring Club Italiano to small towns for excellency in tourism, hospitality and the environment. The town is world renowned for being the homeland of Pinocchio, the famed wooden puppet from the children’s story, (although it was actually author Carlo Lorenzini’s mother who was born here).

The most important attraction is the Pinocchio Park, an open-air museum in which one can re-live the adventures of the famous puppet. Within the park there is: The Pinocchio Museum, with its surprising collections of all things Pinocchio, including art, illustrations, costumes and theatrical scenery; The Pinocchio virtual Library, where one can explore a selection of texts and images of dozens of Pinocchios from all over the world dating from 1883 to the current day; and the Osteria del Gambero Rosso. Amongst the other attractions of Collodi are: the imposing Villa Garzoni, with its splendid baroque style gardens with the Collodi Butterfly House, one of the first butterfly houses in Italy with over 800 of the world’s most beautiful species on display; and the 12th Century Pieve di San Bartolomeo, which hosts valuable works of art, such as two 15th Century wooden sculptures depicting the Madonna with Child and Saint Bartholomew. Throughout the year Collodi holds many interesting events like the parade of floats held at Carnival time; Pinocchio’s Birthday, celebrated inside the park on the 20th May; the Summer evening festivals of the Garzoni Gardens, and the Feast of Patron Saint Bartholomew on 24th August.