Unveiling Alternative Places to See This Summer

Italy has always been renowned for its beauty, small villages, and numerous UNESCO recognitions, making our peninsula a concentration of splendors and riches. And yet, there are still many curious and bizarre places that you might not be aware of! Edilfar Rent takes you to discover three places to see this summer that you won't believe really exist!

The "Real" Mulino Bianco

If I told you "perfect family" and "mill," you would immediately think of an iconic advertising family that is perfect and lively at seven in the morning, living inside a rustic and iconic mill. We all know we're talking about Mulino Bianco, an iconic brand in the pastry and breakfast industry. What seems to be an invented place is actually inspired by a real mill: it's not a logo but a location, located in Luriano in the municipality of Chiusdino, where you can see the Mulino delle Pile, reminiscent of the iconic waterwheel on the facade from the commercials. It was the first case of marketing implemented with a real physical place, from an idea in 1989 by Armando Testa, founder of the Armando Testa Group with offices in Italy and America, who entrusted the direction of the first commercial with the real mill to none other than director Giuseppe Tornatore. PS: However, the mill is not white but entirely made of stone. We hope we haven't ruined your childhood.

The Sword in the Stone and Debtor Monks

Near an event like Mulino Bianco, there is one of incredible historical significance. It is one of the most beautiful complexes in central Italy, that of the Abbey of San Galgano, which has made the lack of its roof a fascinating point of contact with the mystical, having not a frescoed sky but the real one. Here we are also near Chiusdino, a village of Lombard origin where, in the 1200s, the Cistercian monks built this complex, which gradually decayed, leading to the famous legend that the lack of the roof was due to the monks selling the lead from the abbey's cover to repay their debts. The San Galgano Academy, however, made it clear that this is not the historical truth but that the roof collapsed due to a weakening of the structure over time, being progressively abandoned. A few steps from the Abbey, through a 5-minute path, you will reach the Hermitage of Montesiepi, where inside, you will find a rock with a sword thrust into its center.

Could it be Excalibur? Or could it have inspired the myth of King Arthur? There are reasons to consider: the sword belonged to a certain Galgano Guidotti, who became a knight and lived a libertine and dissolute life. All this changed in 1180 when he had a vision of Saint Michael, so he decided to convert and dedicate his life to God, living as a hermit. Holding his sword, he thrust it into the rock, reminiscent of a cross, before which he prayed until the day of his death; he was declared a saint by Pope Urban III in 1985. The Arthurian cycle began after the death of the Sienese saint in the 12th century; moreover, one of the knights of the famous Round Table was named Galvano. Transcription error, or...?

Don't Lose the Thread!

Some myths and heroes of Ancient Greece have come into contact with us and, in fact, are culturally part of our history. Or, there are those who fall in love with a story and carry it with them to its places. This is the case of the Messina patron Antonio Presti, who, along the banks of the Tusa River, over time initiated a collection of giant artworks that would amaze and entertain passersby, immersing them in reflection and a search for mystery and knowledge, and called it Fiumara d'Arte: it is now considered one of the largest and most important sculpture parks in Europe. One of these speaks to us of a famous legend and is called The Labyrinth of Ariadne: The Cretan princess who fell in love with Theseus, deciding to help him defeat the Minotaur inside the Labyrinth of Knossos, creating a ball of wool to help him find the way back, with the promise that they would escape together and he would take her to Athens. In Antonio Presti's monumental project, the labyrinth was created by Italo Lanfedini, who won an International Competition announced by Presti himself. The meaning of the suggestive labyrinth is more intimate and personal than the mythological one: entering the labyrinth means encountering life; the first steps refer to life and birth, leading to a large womb to access to go in search of yourself and be reborn.

At the center of the labyrinth, there is an olive tree, a Greek symbol of wisdom and knowledge. Set in an almost scenic location, you will feel like you are in a conceptual film, for the anachronism of the labyrinth compared to the context and for its innate beauty. PS: Ariadne will give birth to a saying. Indeed, she fled with Theseus, but her ideas were different, and by deception, she left the princess in Naxos (today Naxos). Hence, the saying "to leave someone in the lurch" originated from an oral culture that lost the initial "h" over time. If we hadn't shocked you with Mulino Bianco, we are sure we have now.

Even more shocking is the Edilfar Rent fleet, which has any type of car you could look for a premium and worry-free travel experience. Rent the car that suits you, and discover Italy's most unusual places aboard some of the most important names in the automotive industry.