Castiglione d'Orcia
Encyclopedia
Castiglione d'Orcia is a comune
(municipality) 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
.
Castiglione d'Orcia borders the following municipalities: Abbadia San Salvatore
, Castel del Piano
, Montalcino
, Pienza
, Radicofani
, San Quirico d'Orcia
, Seggiano
.
, which entrusted it to powerful families like the Piccolomini
and Salimbeni
. Later, Castiglione was part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany
and, from 1861, of unified Italy.
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 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 of 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 90 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 40 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...
, in the Val d'Orcia, not far from the 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...
.
Castiglione d'Orcia 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....
, Castel del Piano
Castel 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...
, 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...
, 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."...
, Radicofani
Radicofani
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...
, San Quirico d'Orcia
San Quirico d'Orcia
San Quirico d'Orcia is a comune of c. 2,500 inhabitants in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 80 km southeast of Florence and about 35 km southeast of Siena inside the Valdorcia landscape...
, Seggiano
Seggiano
Seggiano is a comune in the Province of Grosseto in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 100 km south of Florence and about 40 km northeast of Grosseto....
.
History
The settlement is mentioned for the first time in 714, when it was a possession of the Aldobrandeschi family. In 1252 it became a free commune, but lost its independence in the following century to 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...
, which entrusted it to powerful families like the Piccolomini
Piccolomini
Piccolomini is the name of an Italian noble family, which was prominent in Siena from the beginning of the 13th century onwards. In 1220, Engelberto d'Ugo Piccolomini received the fief of Montertari in Val d'Orcia from the emperor Frederick II as a reward for services rendered...
and Salimbeni
Salimbeni (disambiguation)
Salimbeni is an Italian surname. People with this name include:*Lorenzo Salimbeni , painter*Jacopo Salimbeni , painter and brother of Lorenzo*Ventura Salimbeni , painter and printmakerIt may also refer to:...
. Later, Castiglione was part of 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...
and, from 1861, of unified Italy.
Main sights
- Rocca (Castle) of Tentennano, overlooking the frazione of Rocca d'Orcia. It was the centre of the struggle between the Salimbeni and the Republic of Siena, which re-acquired it in 1408. In the 16th century it was again contended between Siena and Florence
- Rocca Aldobrandesca.
- Romanesque churches of Santa Maria Maddalena and Santi Stefano and Degna. The latter houses a Madonna with Child by Simone MartiniSimone MartiniSimone Martini was an Italian painter born in Siena.He was a major figure in the development of early Italian painting and greatly influenced the development of the International Gothic style....
and a Madonna with Child by Pietro LorenzettiPietro LorenzettiPietro Lorenzetti was an Italian painter, active between approximately 1306 and 1345. His younger brother was the painter Ambrogio Lorenzetti....
.