History

from Frederick Barbarossa to Pope Clement VII and Michelangelo

Hotel Miravalle is set in one of the most important buildings of San Miniato, a beautiful historic town in the province of Pisa. Built in the X century as a defensive bastion, it was embellished and enlarged around 1170, when the Swabians emperors decided to make San Miniato the center of imperial power in Tuscany.

Since then and for the next 150 years, the palace has hosted imperial vicars as well as emperors like Frederick Barbarossa, Otto IV, Henry IV and – last but not least – Frederick II, called Stupor Mundi (“Astonishment of the world”).

Frederick’s chancellor, Pier della Vigna, was imprisoned and left to die in the crenellated tower of San Miniato castle; the episode is depicted by Dante in the thirteenth canto of the Divine Comedy.

From 1370, San Miniato fell under the Florentine domination and the palace became the headquarters of the Florentine vicars; in 1533, Pope Clement VII sojourned here a few days on his way to France.

A commemorative plaque confirms the presence of Clement VII and Michelangelo, who was here commissioned to paint the “Last Judgment” in the Sistine Chapel. Legend has it that the Pope and Michelangelo signed the contract in front of a still visible fourteenth century fresco.

Today the Miravalle Hotel is an exclusive art hotel that ensures a unique experience by synthesizing the charm of centuries of history and the freshness of contemporary art, with more than 150 artworks by Italian and international emerging artists decorating and enriching the walls of rooms and common areas.