Castiglione d'Orcia is a ''
comune
The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...
'' (municipality) in the
Province of Siena
The province of Siena ( it, provincia di Siena, link=no, ) is a province in Tuscany, Italy. Its capital is the city of Siena.
Geography
The province is divided into seven historical areas:
* Alta Val d'Elsa
* Chianti senese
* The urban are ...
in the
Italian region of
Tuscany
it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Citizenship
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 = Italian
, demogra ...
, located about southeast of
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...
and about southeast of
Siena
Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.
The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centur ...
, 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
Montalcino is a hill town and ''comune'' in the province of Siena, Tuscany, central Italy.
The town is located to the west of Pienza, close to the Crete Senesi in Val d'Orcia. It is from Siena, from Florence and from Pisa. Monte Amiata is ...
,
Pienza,
Radicofani,
San Quirico d'Orcia,
Seggiano and with a little characteristic town of few inhabitants, located on a rock, called “Campiglia d’Orcia”.
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 Siena, which entrusted it to powerful families like the
Piccolomini and
Salimbeni. Later, Castiglione was part of the
Grand Duchy of Tuscany
The Grand Duchy of Tuscany ( it, Granducato di Toscana; la, Magnus Ducatus Etruriae) was an Italian monarchy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1859, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In th ...
and, from 1861, of
unified Italy.
Main sights
Both these locations are a museum and can be visited during appropriate hours.
*''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. It was handed over to the government in 1971 after fear by the owners due to the old age of the fortress and danger of rocks hitting people.
*''Rocca Aldobrandesca''.
*Romanesque churches of ''
Santa Maria Maddalena'' and ''Santi Stefano and Degna''. The latter houses a ''Madonna with Child'' by
Simone Martini
Simone Martini ( – 1344) 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.
It is thought that Martini was a pupil ...
and a ''Madonna with Child'' by
Pietro Lorenzetti
Pietro Lorenzetti (; – 1348) or Pietro Laurati was an Italian painter, active between c. 1306 and 1345. Together with his younger brother Ambrogio, he introduced naturalism into Sienese art. In their artistry and experiments with three-dimen ...
.
References
External links
*
Castles in Italy
Val d'Orcia
{{Siena-geo-stub