Galluzzo
Encyclopedia
Galluzzo is a suburb of Florence
, Italy
, located in the southern extremity of the Florentine commune. It is known for the celebrated Carthusian
monastery, the Galluzzo or Florence Charterhouse (Certosa di Firenze or Certosa del Galluzzo), which was founded in 1342 by Niccolò Acciaioli
.
(known as Casellina e Torri until that same date) as the fraction of Giogoli; or to Bagno a Ripoli
(Grassina). The remainder formed the present commune of Impruneta
.
At the time in which the commune was disestablished, it had circa 22,000 inhabitants and was undoubtedly the most populated commune of the Florentine province, after Prato
and Empoli
; its communal territory bordered on those of Florence
, Casellina e Torri, San Casciano in Val di Pesa
, Greve in Chianti
and Bagno a Ripoli
. The commune, which at the time of national unification extended roughly 68 km2, had already undergone a previous reduction in 1865, which with the 2412th Royal Decree (26 July 1865) had lost a strip of land between the city walls and Due Strade to the commune of Florence.
from Florence (Via Cassia
), whose sign was a cockerel. It must be noted however that this sign was simply a reproduction of the carving of a cockerel on a milestone on the side of that same road. This latter hypothesis is more likely, given that even the historian Andrea Dei in his "Cronaca Senese" of 1253 states that "a company of armed Sienese
and Pisa
ns performed a quick raid into Florentine territory as far as the Galluzzo stone, and as a token of disrespect cut off the cockerel's head".
The late 13th century suburb of Galluzzo Vecchio ("Old Galluzzo"), which originally must have consisted of a handful of houses and villas scattered between the charterhouse bridge and the church of Saint Lucia of Massapagani, expanded as a group of residential buildings starting from the corner of via Massapagani and via Barni, around a 14th century church.
As far as the predominant activities are concerned, given its closeness to Impruneta
, until the 16th century there was a consistent presence of terracotta producers, until more recent times when, in addition to kiln men, cement plants were built. At the beginning of the 20th century there was also a series of other industries which later disappeared, such as a large windmill next to a pasta factory, and a factory where olive oil was extracted by means of carbon sulphate, with which were also produced soaps of various types. The particular lithological composition of the surrounding hills also allowed for the construction of various caves for the extraction and processing of stone, the most important of which were those of Monteripaldi, Poggio ai Grilli and Montebuoni of Montecuccoli.
The women of the region had for a long time offered laundry services, given the abundance of running water, in addition to which they also produced straw plaits and braids.
Today, the heart of the residential nucleus is Acciaioli Square, in which is erected the monument to victims of World War I
.
in the XVI canto (verses 52–55) of The Divine Comedy
.
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....
, Italy
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...
, located in the southern extremity of the Florentine commune. It is known for the celebrated Carthusian
Carthusian
The Carthusian Order, also called the Order of St. Bruno, is a Roman Catholic religious order of enclosed monastics. The order was founded by Saint Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns...
monastery, the Galluzzo or Florence Charterhouse (Certosa di Firenze or Certosa del Galluzzo), which was founded in 1342 by Niccolò Acciaioli
Niccolò Acciaioli
Niccolò Acciaioli was an Italian noble, a member of the Florentine banking family of the Acciaioli. He was the grand seneschal of the Kingdom of Naples and count of Melfi, Malta, and Gozo in the mid-fourteenth century. He was the son of Acciaiolo, a wealthy Florentine merchant...
.
History
The autonomous commune
Galluzzo was an autonomous commune until 1928, at which point its territory was split: part was assigned to the commune of Florence in accordance with the 2562nd Royal Decree (01/11/1928), which foresaw the expansion of the Florentine administrative territory (together with the fractions of San Felice ad Ema and Cascine del Riccio); the rest was assigned to the newly formed commune of ScandicciScandicci
thumb|250px|Pieve of Sant'Alessandro a Giogoli.Scandicci is a comune of c. 50,000 inhabitants in the Province of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 6 km southwest of Florence....
(known as Casellina e Torri until that same date) as the fraction of Giogoli; or to Bagno a Ripoli
Bagno a Ripoli
Bagno a Ripoli is a comune in the Province of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 7 km southeast of Florence.- External links :*...
(Grassina). The remainder formed the present commune of Impruneta
Impruneta
Impruneta is a town and comune of the province of Florence in the Italian region of Tuscany. The population is about 15,000.-Name and production:...
.
At the time in which the commune was disestablished, it had circa 22,000 inhabitants and was undoubtedly the most populated commune of the Florentine province, after Prato
Prato
Prato is a city and comune in Tuscany, Italy, the capital of the Province of Prato. The city is situated at the foot of Monte Retaia , the last peak in the Calvana chain. The lowest altitude in the comune is 32 m, near the Cascine di Tavola, and the highest is the peak of Monte Cantagrillo...
and Empoli
Empoli
Empoli is a town and comune in Tuscany, Italy, about 20 km southwest of Florence, to the south of the Arno in a plain formed by the latter river. The plain has been usable for agriculture since Roman times. The commune's territory becomes a hilly one as it departs from the river...
; its communal territory bordered on those 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....
, Casellina e Torri, San Casciano in Val di Pesa
San Casciano in Val di Pesa
San Casciano in Val di Pesa is a comune in the Province of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 15 km southwest of Florence....
, Greve in Chianti
Greve in Chianti
Greve in Chianti is a town and comune in the province of Florence, Tuscany, Italy. It is located c...
and Bagno a Ripoli
Bagno a Ripoli
Bagno a Ripoli is a comune in the Province of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 7 km southeast of Florence.- External links :*...
. The commune, which at the time of national unification extended roughly 68 km2, had already undergone a previous reduction in 1865, which with the 2412th Royal Decree (26 July 1865) had lost a strip of land between the city walls and Due Strade to the commune of Florence.
The name
Some trace the origin of the curious name (a variation of the word "gallo", cockerel) of the suburb to the Galluzzi family, who were the regional "biadaioli", and whose crest was a golden cockerel in a blue field. Others maintain that the name Galluzzo derives from the old tavern located on the road leading to RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
from Florence (Via Cassia
Via Cassia
The Via Cassia was an important Roman road striking out of the Via Flaminia near the Milvian Bridge in the immediate vicinity of Rome and, passing not far from Veii traversed Etruria...
), whose sign was a cockerel. It must be noted however that this sign was simply a reproduction of the carving of a cockerel on a milestone on the side of that same road. This latter hypothesis is more likely, given that even the historian Andrea Dei in his "Cronaca Senese" of 1253 states that "a company of armed Sienese
Siena
Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. It is one of the nation's most visited tourist attractions, with over 163,000 international arrivals in 2008...
and Pisa
Pisa
Pisa is a city in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the River Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa...
ns performed a quick raid into Florentine territory as far as the Galluzzo stone, and as a token of disrespect cut off the cockerel's head".
The late 13th century suburb of Galluzzo Vecchio ("Old Galluzzo"), which originally must have consisted of a handful of houses and villas scattered between the charterhouse bridge and the church of Saint Lucia of Massapagani, expanded as a group of residential buildings starting from the corner of via Massapagani and via Barni, around a 14th century church.
Economy
Historically a zone inhabited by artesans and agricultural workers, Galluzzo had relatively few inhabitants until the mid 19th century.As far as the predominant activities are concerned, given its closeness to Impruneta
Impruneta
Impruneta is a town and comune of the province of Florence in the Italian region of Tuscany. The population is about 15,000.-Name and production:...
, until the 16th century there was a consistent presence of terracotta producers, until more recent times when, in addition to kiln men, cement plants were built. At the beginning of the 20th century there was also a series of other industries which later disappeared, such as a large windmill next to a pasta factory, and a factory where olive oil was extracted by means of carbon sulphate, with which were also produced soaps of various types. The particular lithological composition of the surrounding hills also allowed for the construction of various caves for the extraction and processing of stone, the most important of which were those of Monteripaldi, Poggio ai Grilli and Montebuoni of Montecuccoli.
The women of the region had for a long time offered laundry services, given the abundance of running water, in addition to which they also produced straw plaits and braids.
Today, the heart of the residential nucleus is Acciaioli Square, in which is erected the monument to victims of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Culture
Galluzzo is cited by Dante AlighieriDante Alighieri
Durante degli Alighieri, mononymously referred to as Dante , was an Italian poet, prose writer, literary theorist, moral philosopher, and political thinker. He is best known for the monumental epic poem La commedia, later named La divina commedia ...
in the XVI canto (verses 52–55) of The Divine Comedy
The Divine Comedy
The Divine Comedy is an epic poem written by Dante Alighieri between 1308 and his death in 1321. It is widely considered the preeminent work of Italian literature, and is seen as one of the greatest works of world literature...
.
See also
- Florence Charterhouse