Capalbio
Encyclopedia
Capalbio is a comune
(municipality) in the Province of Grosseto
in the Italian
region Tuscany
, located about 150 km south of Florence
and about 45 km southeast of Grosseto
.
Capalbio borders the following municipalities: Manciano
, Montalto di Castro
, Orbetello
.
stone dug in the area.
Capalbio is known for the first time in 805 AD, when it was donated to the Abbey of the Tre Fontane, near Rome, by Charlemagne
. The possession was confirmed in 1161 by Pope Alexander III
. Later it was under the Aldobrandeschi family, who were followed by Orvieto
, the Republic of Siena
and the Orsini, who built the Castle.
Conquered by the Spaniards in 1555. it was assigned to Cosimo I de' Medici as part of his new Grand Duchy of Tuscany
. The city subsequently decayed and the area depopulated due to the presence of malaria
.
It became part of the Kingdom of Italy
in 1860, becoming an independent comune in 1960.
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 150 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 45 km southeast 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....
.
Manciano (GR)
Manciano is a town and comune in the southern part of the province of Grosseto, Tuscany, central Italy. It has a population of c. 7,000.Manciano is 18 km SW of Pitigliano and 40 km NE of Orbetello....
, Montalto di Castro
Montalto di Castro
Montalto di Castro is a comune in the Province of Viterbo in the Italian region Lazio, located about 90 km northwest of Rome and about 40 km west of Viterbo.It is home to a large power plant managed by ENEL.-External links:*...
, Orbetello
Orbetello
Orbetello is a town and comune in the province of Grosseto , Italy. It is located c. 35 km south of Grosseto, on the eponymous lagoon, which is home to an important Natural Reserve.-History:...
.
History
The name derives probably from the Latin Caput Album or Campus Albus (White Cape or Field, respectively), due to the white alabasterAlabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
stone dug in the area.
Capalbio is known for the first time in 805 AD, when it was donated to the Abbey of the Tre Fontane, near Rome, by Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
. The possession was confirmed in 1161 by Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III , born Rolando of Siena, was Pope from 1159 to 1181. He is noted in history for laying the foundation stone for the Notre Dame de Paris.-Church career:...
. Later it was under the Aldobrandeschi family, who were followed by Orvieto
Orvieto
Orvieto is a city and comune in Province of Terni, southwestern Umbria, Italy situated on the flat summit of a large butte of volcanic tuff...
, the Republic of Siena
Republic 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...
and the Orsini, who built the Castle.
Conquered by the Spaniards in 1555. it was assigned to Cosimo I de' Medici as part of his new 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...
. The city subsequently decayed and the area depopulated due to the presence of malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
.
It became part of the Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
in 1860, becoming an independent comune in 1960.