Montemerano is a village in

Tuscany it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

, central

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, administratively a

frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a '' comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate terri ...

of the

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 ...

Manciano Manciano is a town and ''comune'' in the southern part of the province of Grosseto, Tuscany, central Italy. It has a population of about 7,200. Manciano is southwest of Pitigliano and northeast of Orbetello. History Manciano was once a fai ...

, province of Grosseto. At the time of the 2001 census its population amounted to 438.

Geography

Montemerano is about 48 km from Grosseto and 6 km from

, and it is situated on a hill along the Provincial Road which links Scansano to

History

The village dates back to the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, when it was a property of the Aldobrandeschi family (13th century) and then of the Baschi from Orvieto (14th century). It was then conquered by the Republic of Siena during the 15th century. Emanuele Repetti,
Montemerano
», ''Dizionario Geografico Fisico Storico della Toscana'', 1833-1846.

Main sights

* ''San Giorgio'' (14th century), main parish church of the village, it was built by the Baschi and expanded in 1430. It was restored in 1980. The church contains a ''Madonna in trono col Bambino e santi'' by Sano di Pietro (15th century) and the curious ''Madonna della Gattaiola'' (Virgin Mary of the cat flap) by the local artist known only as Maestro di Montemerano (The Master from Montemerano).Bruno Santi, ''Guida storico-artistica alla Maremma. Itinerari culturali nella provincia di Grosseto'', Nuova Immagine, Siena, 1995, pp. 292–301. * '' Pieve di San Lorenzo'' (12th century), former parish church of the village, it is the oldest building in Montemerano, as mentioned in an act of 1188. It was deconsecrated and now it is used for cultural activities. * ''Madonna del Cavalluzzo'' (15th century), it was built as a chapel and then restructured in the 17th century. * Walls of Montemerano, old fortifications which surround the village since 13th century. The walls have three gates: ''Porta di San Giorgio'', ''Porta Romana'' and ''Porta Grossetana''.

References

Bibliography

* Bruno Santi, ''Guida storico-artistica alla Maremma. Itinerari culturali nella provincia di Grosseto'', Nuova Immagine, Siena, 1995, pp. 292–301. * Giuseppe Guerrini, ''Torri e castelli della provincia di Grosseto'', Nuova Immagine Editrice, Siena, 1999.

Geography

History

Main sights

References

Bibliography

See also