Vernio is a ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' (municipality) in the

Province of Prato The province of Prato () is one of the 80 Provinces of Italy, ordinary provinces in Italy. Situated in the region of Tuscany, its capital and largest city is Prato. It was carved out as a separate province from the province of Florence in 1992. ...

in the region of

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, located about northwest of

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

and about north of

Prato Prato ( ; ) is a city and municipality (''comune'') in Tuscany, Italy, and is the capital of the province of Prato. The city lies in the northeast of Tuscany, at an elevation of , at the foot of Monte Retaia (the last peak in the Calvana ch ...

. It has 6,158 inhabitants.

History

Vernio's name derives from that of an

ancient Roman In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...

winter camp (''

castra hiberna ''Castra'' () is a Latin term used during the Roman Republic and Roman Empire for a military 'camp', and ''castrum'' () for a 'fort'. Either could refer to a building or plot of land, used as a fortified military base.. Included is a discuss ...

'') located here. A Roman bridge existed in the area, but was destroyed during World War II. In the 12th century it went from the Carolingians to the counts Alberti from Prato, who lived here after 1107. In the 13th century it went to the Bardi family, as the seat of a county which remained independent until 1798, when it was abolished by

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

. After the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon, Napol ...

it was annexed to the

Grand Duchy of Tuscany The Grand Duchy of Tuscany (; ) was an Italian monarchy located in Central Italy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1860, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In the 19th century the population ...

. On 7 June 1944 an American B-25J mitchell bomber was shot down by German anti-aircraft fire over the hills of Vernio. With four 1,000 pound bombs on board, the plane erupted and crashed in the Carbonale woods, in Poggiole, Vernio. Six of the seven men on board perished. The sole survivor parachuted out of the plane and hid in the mountains before making it back to allied lines in Florence three months later. The fallen crew were buried in the cemetery in Montepiano shortly after the crash, their final resting place at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, USA. In the winter of 2013, the pilot's military tag was found in the woods, and brought to the local museum. The museum hosts an exhibit of the B-25J mitchell consisting of parts of the plane found through metal detecting and also donated by locals. A monument at the crash site was built by the museum and unveiled at the 70th anniversary memorial event on 7 June 2014. A book was written about the crew and events surrounding the incident, presented at the city hall in downtown Vernio also on the 70th anniversary.

Geography

Vernio borders the following municipalities:

Barberino di Mugello Barberino may refer to places in the Metropolitan City of Florence, Tuscany, Italy: * Barberino di Mugello, a municipality * Barberino Tavarnelle, a municipality ** Barberino Val d'Elsa, a ''frazione'' of Barberino Tavarnelle See also * Barbero (d ...

Camugnano Camugnano ( Medial Mountain Bolognese: ; City Bolognese: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Bologna in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southwest of Bologna. Camugnano borders the following municipali ...

, Cantagallo,

Castiglione dei Pepoli Castiglione dei Pepoli () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, located about southwest of Bologna. It takes its name from the Pepoli noble family of Bologna. Asteroid 400193 Castión was n ...

. The municipality of Vernio is a union of three villages: *San Quirico (with the town hall) *Mercatale with the Vernio-Cantagallo-Montepiano train station *Sant'Ippolito (with a nice parish church)

Villages

* Cavarzano * Celle di Vernio * Ceraio * Costozze * Gavazzoli * Gorandaccio * La Rocca di Vernio * La Storaia * La Valle di Vernio * Le Confina * Luciana di Verrio * Mercatale di Vernio * Montepiano * Poggiole * San Quirico di Vernio * Sant'Ippolito di Vernio * Sasseta * Segalari * Terrigoli

Demographics

Main sights

The main sight is the Abbey of Santa Maria (11th century), at Montepiano, housing 13th-century frescoes.

Churches

*Sant'Agata chapel in La Rocca *Former oratory of the

Company of Jesus A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether natural, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specifi ...

in Sant'Ippolito *Madonna della Neve in Sasseta *San Pietro in Cavarzano *Sanctuary of Sant'Antonio Maria Pucci *San Bartolomeo in Costozze *San Martino in Luciana *San Michele in Sasseta *San Niccolò oratory in San Quirico *San Quirico e Leonardo in San Quirico *Sant'Antonio da Padova in Mercatale * Sant'Ippolito e Cassiano in Sant'Ippolito *Santa Maria in Montepiano

Nature

*La Torricella *Alpe di Cavarzano

Feasts

*''Carnevalino'' (Carnival) in Sant'Ippolito, the Saturday immediately after

Ash Wednesday Ash Wednesday is a holy day of prayer and fasting in many Western Christian denominations. It is preceded by Shrove Tuesday and marks the first day of Lent: the seven weeks of Christian prayer, prayer, Religious fasting#Christianity, fasting and ...

. A traditional plate (pasta with tuna sauce) is served to the participants, accompanied with herrings. *''Festa della polenta'' (polenta feast), also called ''Pulendina,'' at San Quirico, the first Sunday of Lent: it remembers an episode happened during the

16th century The 16th century began with the Julian calendar, Julian year 1501 (represented by the Roman numerals MDI) and ended with either the Julian or the Gregorian calendar, Gregorian year 1600 (MDC), depending on the reckoning used (the Gregorian calend ...

, when the county of Vernio was hit by a famine, after which the Bardi counts ordered an extraordinary distribution of sweet

polenta Polenta (, ) is an Italian cuisine, Italian dish of boiled cornmeal that was historically made from other grains. It may be allowed to cool and solidify into a loaf that can be baked, fried or Grilling, grilled. The variety of cereal used is ...

(made by

chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Description ...

flour), herrings and cods to the people. *''Fiera di San Giuseppe'' (St. Joseph Fair) at San Quirico, on 19 March or the weekend immediately after this date. *''Montepiano Country'', July *''Madonna delle Neve'' feast in Sasseta, 5 August. *''Rificolona'' feast in Montepiano, August

Twin towns

Senones The Senones or Senonii (Gaulish: "the ancient ones") were an ancient Gallic tribe dwelling in the Seine basin, around present-day Sens, during the Iron Age and the Roman period. Part of the Senones settled in the Italian peninsula, where the ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

* Jettingen,

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Marchin Marchin (; ) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. On January 1, 2006, Marchin had a total population of 5,114. The total area is 30.00 km2 which gives a population density of 170 inhabitants per km2. ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities and towns in Tuscany