According to E. Repetti’s Historical Geographic Dictionary of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, Ginestra Fiorentina was home to a pilgrims’ hospice which was converted into an oratory in 1833. The hospice was built in the 18th century where the road towards the Romola hills branched off from the main road that ran along the right bank of the River Pesa.
Once under the rule of Montelupo Fiorentino, the nascent community of Ginestra developed around the hospice and the parish church of Saints Ippolito and Cassiano, consecrated in 1091.
The position of the church, on the banks of the River Pesa and on an important crossroad, had a significant role in the town’s flourishing development, which continued until 1789, when the rights of the parish church were transferred to the church of San Giovanni Evangelista at Montelupo. Today the church is in a state of semi-dereliction, except for the rectory, which is now a hotel.
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