For Cardinal Bernardo Bibbiena, see Bernardo Dovizi

Bernardo Dovizi

Bernardo Dovizi or Bibbiena was an Italian cardinal and comedy-writer, known best as Cardinal Bibbiena, for the town Bibbiena, where he was born.-Biography:...

Bibbiena is a town and comune

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 Arezzo

Province of Arezzo

The Province of Arezzo or Arretium is the easternmost province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Arezzo.It has an area of 3,232 km², and a total population of 323,288 in 39 comuni . At June 30, 2005, the main comuni by population are:- External links :...

, 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 ....

 (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...

), the largest town in the valley of Casentino

Casentino

The Casentino is the valley in which the first tract of the river Arno flows to Subbiano, Italy.It is one of the four valleys in which the Province of Arezzo is divided. Mount Falterona, from which the Arno starts, represents the northern boundary between the Casentino and Romagna...

. It is located 60 kilometers (37.2 mi) from 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....

, 30 kilometers (18.6 mi) from Arezzo

Arezzo

Arezzo is a city and comune in Central Italy, capital of the province of the same name, located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about 80 km southeast of Florence, at an elevation of 296 m above sea level. In 2011 the population was about 100,000....

, 60 kilometers (37.2 mi) from 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...

 and 20 kilometers (12.4 mi) from the Sanctuary of La Verna

La Verna

La Verna, in Latin Alverna and geographically known as Monte Penna, is a locality on Mount Penna, an isolated mountain of 1,283 m situated in the centre of the Tuscan Apennines, rising above the valley of the Casentino, central Italy...

.

The town is on top of a hill at an altitude of 425 meters (1,394 ft).

History

Bibbiena was originally an important Etruscan

Etruscan civilization

Etruscan civilization is the modern English name given to a civilization of ancient Italy in the area corresponding roughly to Tuscany. The ancient Romans called its creators the Tusci or Etrusci...

 town that eventually evolved into a Medieval castle

Castle

A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...

- portions of which, in the form of the "Torre dei Tarlati" and the "Porta dei Fabbri" still exist.

Main sights

• Palazzo Mazzoleni
• Palazzo Niccolini
• Palazzo Dovizi, built by Cardinal
  Cardinal (Catholicism)
  A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
  
   Bernardo Dovizi
  Bernardo Dovizi
  Bernardo Dovizi or Bibbiena was an Italian cardinal and comedy-writer, known best as Cardinal Bibbiena, for the town Bibbiena, where he was born.-Biography:...
  
  , who is usually known as "Bibbiena", He was born in Bibbiena and served as secretary to Cardinal Giovanni de' Medici (later Pope Leo X
  Pope Leo X
  Pope Leo X , born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, was the Pope from 1513 to his death in 1521. He was the last non-priest to be elected Pope. He is known for granting indulgences for those who donated to reconstruct St. Peter's Basilica and his challenging of Martin Luther's 95 Theses...
  
  ).

The religious buildings include:

• the church of San Lorenzo, famous for the glazed terracotta reliefs by the Della Robbia
  Della Robbia
  Della Robbia may refer to:*Luca della Robbia , Italian sculptor*Andrea della Robbia , Italian sculptor, nephew of Luca*Giovanni della Robbia , son of Andrea*Girolamo della Robbia , son of Andrea...
  
   school
• the Pieve di Sant’Ippolito (former chapel of the Tarlati Castle)
• the Rococo Oratorio of San Francesco 
• the Sanctuary of Santa Maria del Sasso
  Santa Maria del Sasso
  Santa Maria del Sasso, also known as the Sanctuary of Santa Maria del Sasso is a Renaissance church near Bibbiena in Tuscany, Italy.The first church on the site was constructed in 1347 following a reported appearance of the Virgin Mary on 23 June 1347. The current building was commissioned by...
  
  , one of the most important Renaissance
  Italian Renaissance
  The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 13th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe...
  
   buildings in the Casentino area.

Culture

The town holds its yearly "Rievocazione della Mea" festival

Festival

A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....

 on the last Sunday of Carnival

Carnival

Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...

 and Shrove Tuesday

Shrove Tuesday

Shrove Tuesday is a term used in English-speaking countries, especially in Ireland, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, Germany, and parts of the United States for the day preceding Ash Wednesday, the first day of the season of fasting and prayer called Lent.The...

as well as a similar celebration in the summer with parades in historical costume and a show in the main square.

External links

• Official website