Radicofani
Encyclopedia
Radicofani is a comune
in the Province of Siena
in the Italian
region Tuscany
, located in the natural park of Valdorcia
about 110 km southeast of Florence
and about 60 km southeast of Siena
. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,220 and an area of 118.3 km².
Radicofani borders the following municipalities: Abbadia San Salvatore
, Castiglione d'Orcia
, Pienza
, San Casciano dei Bagni
, Sarteano
.
origin and documented from 978. It was the castle of Ghino di Tacco
. Occupying the highest point of a hill, at 896 m, it was restored after the conquest from the Grand Duchy of Tuscany
(1560-1567). It has two line of walls: the external one has pentagonal shape, while the inner one is triangular, with three ruined towers at each corner and a cassero (donjon) which can be visited.
Also notable is the Romanesque church of San Pietro, with a nave, housing some works by Andrea della Robbia
, Benedetto Buglioni
and Santi Buglioni
. Also by della Robbia is the precious Madonna with Saints at the high altar of the church of Sant'Agata
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:...
in the Province of Siena
Province of Siena
The Province of Siena is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Siena.It has an area of 3,821 km² , and a total population of 252,288 . There are 36 comuni in the province...
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 in the natural park of Valdorcia
Valdorcia
The Val d’Orcia, or Valdorcia, is a region of Tuscany, central Italy, which extends from the hills south of Siena to Monte Amiata. It is characterised by gentle, carefully cultivated hills occasionally broken by gullies and by picturesque towns and villages such as Pienza , Radicofani The Val...
about 110 km southeast 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 60 km southeast of Siena
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...
. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,220 and an area of 118.3 km².
Radicofani borders the following municipalities: Abbadia San Salvatore
Abbadia San Salvatore
Abbadia San Salvatore is a comune in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 110 km southeast of Florence and about 60 km southeast of Siena, in the area of Monte Amiata....
, Castiglione d'Orcia
Castiglione d'Orcia
Castiglione d'Orcia is a comune in the Province of Siena in the Italian region of Tuscany, located about 90 km southeast of Florence and about 40 km southeast of Siena, in the Val d'Orcia, not far from the Via Cassia....
, Pienza
Pienza
Pienza, a town and comune in the province of Siena, in the Val d'Orcia in Tuscany , between the towns of Montepulciano and Montalcino, is the "touchstone of Renaissance urbanism."...
, San Casciano dei Bagni
San Casciano dei Bagni
San Casciano dei Bagni is a comune in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 110 km southeast of Florence and about 70 km southeast of Siena.-Geogrpahy:...
, Sarteano
Sarteano
Sarteano is a comune in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 100 km southeast of Florence and about 60 km southeast of Siena....
.
Main sights
The main landmark of Radicofani is its Rocca (Castle), of CarolingianCarolingian
The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The name "Carolingian", Medieval Latin karolingi, an altered form of an unattested Old High German *karling, kerling The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the...
origin and documented from 978. It was the castle of Ghino di Tacco
Ghino di Tacco
Ghinotto di Tacco, called Ghino, was an outlaw in thirteenth century Italy. He was born in the latter half of the thirteenth century in La Fratta, which is now part of Sinalunga in the Province of Siena...
. Occupying the highest point of a hill, at 896 m, it was restored after the conquest from 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...
(1560-1567). It has two line of walls: the external one has pentagonal shape, while the inner one is triangular, with three ruined towers at each corner and a cassero (donjon) which can be visited.
Also notable is the Romanesque church of San Pietro, with a nave, housing some works by Andrea della Robbia
Andrea della Robbia
Andrea della Robbia was an Italian Renaissance sculptor, especially in ceramics. He was the son of Marco della Robbia. Andrea della Robbia's uncle, Luca della Robbia, popularized the use of glazed terra-cotta for sculpture...
, Benedetto Buglioni
Benedetto Buglioni
Benedetto Buglioni was an Italian sculptor.Buglioni was born in Florence, son of another sculptor Giovanni di Bernardo. In the early 1480s Buglioni and his brother opened their own studio, and jointly worked on a number of commissions for various churches in the area...
and Santi Buglioni
Santi Buglioni
Santi Buglioni, byname of Santi di Michele was an Italian sculptor, the nephew and collaborator of Benedetto Buglioni....
. Also by della Robbia is the precious Madonna with Saints at the high altar of the church of Sant'Agata