Arcidosso
Encyclopedia
Arcidosso is a comune
(municipality) in the Province of Grosseto
in the Italian
region Tuscany
, located about 100 km south of Florence
and about 35 km northeast of Grosseto
and near the town of Montalcino
.
in 1556, it passed under the Grand Duchy of Tuscany
. Cosimo I de' Medici established many outlying offices here.
Following the Leopoldina Reformation of 1786, it lived a conspicuous demographic increment and the number of its citizens quadrupled in about 100 years. Arcidosso therefore became historically the most important political and administrative center of Monte Amiata.
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Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
(municipality) in the Province of Grosseto
Province of Grosseto
The Province of Grosseto is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Grosseto.-Geography:It has an area of 4,504 km², and a total population of 227.498...
in the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
region Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
, located about 100 km south of Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
and about 35 km northeast of Grosseto
Grosseto
Grosseto is a city and comune in the central Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of the Province of Grosseto. The city lies 14 km from the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the Maremma, at the centre of an alluvial plain, on the Ombrone river....
and near the town of Montalcino
Montalcino
Montalcino is a hilltown and comune in Tuscany, Italy. It is famous for its Brunello di Montalcino wine.The town is located to the west of Pienza, close to the Crete Senesi in Val d'Orcia. It is 42 km from Siena, 110 km from Florence and 150 km from Pisa...
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History
The first certain documentation of the existence of the settlement of Arcidosso is from the year 860, which it is said to belong to the Abbey of San Salvatore. In 1331, Guidoriccio da Fogliano besieged it for four months with an army of 4,000 soldiers and 400 horsemen, until it surrendered. After the fall of the Republic of SienaRepublic of Siena
The Republic of Siena , was a state originating from the city of Siena in Tuscany, Central Italy.It existed for over four hundreds years, from the late 11th century until the year 1555, when was defeated by the rival Duchy of Florence in alliance with the Spanish crown...
in 1556, it passed under the Grand Duchy of Tuscany
Grand Duchy of Tuscany
The Grand Duchy of Tuscany was a central Italian monarchy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1859, replacing the Duchy of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence...
. Cosimo I de' Medici established many outlying offices here.
Following the Leopoldina Reformation of 1786, it lived a conspicuous demographic increment and the number of its citizens quadrupled in about 100 years. Arcidosso therefore became historically the most important political and administrative center of Monte Amiata.
Aldobrandeschi castle
The construction of the first nucleus of the castle, around which the town would develop, dates from about the year 1000. From the 12th to the 14th century it was a stronghold of the Aldobrandeschi and bulwark against invasion by Siena in the Amiata territory. The north side of the complex is characterized by a tower that rises beyond the roof of the highest building in the compound. The top of the tower is crowned by a series of blind arches resting on shelves. The fortress, recently restored, is used today as a space for cultural activities. From the top of the tower there is a splendid panorama of Mount Amiata.Historic centre
The historic center of Arcidosso, one of the most striking of Amiata, develops in a long pyramid shape along the plateau dominated by the castle. Only three gates of the original medieval walls remain, of which two are original – the Porta di Castello and the Porta Talassese towards the sea. From here, going down towards Codaccio, is the Porta dell’Orologio, built in 1851 to replace the Porta di Mezzo.Others
Arcidosso is also home to several medieval churches, most notably the San Salvatore Abbey, the Chiesa della Madonna dell'Incoronata (Church of the Madonna Crowned), where pilgrims journeyed to pray for the end of the great plague, Chiesa di San Niccolò, the patron saint of Arcidosso, and the Chiesa di San Leonardo. These churches contain medieval frescoes, paintings and icons. Local legend has it that Merlin, the enchanter associated with the Arthurian cycle, lived in a cave between Arcidosso and neighbouring Castel del PianoCastel del Piano
Castel del Piano is a town and comune of Grosseto province in the Italian region of Tuscany.-History:The area of Castel del Piano is known to have been inhabited in prehistoric times, but the town itself is mentioned for the first time in a document from 890 AD. From 1175 to 1321 it was a...
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