Castellina in Chianti 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) of c. 2,800 inhabitants 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 area o ...
, in the
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
region
Tuscany
Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze'').
Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...
, located about south 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 an ...
and about northwest 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 centuri ...
. It is part of the
Chianti Hills, between the valleys of the
Arbia,
Pesa
The Pesa is a river in Tuscany, central Italy. It has a length of 53 km, and, after crossing the provinces of Siena and Florence, flows into the Arno River near Montelupo Fiorentino
Montelupo Fiorentino is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the ...
and
Elsa rivers.
The territory of Castellina in Chianti borders the following municipalities:
Barberino Val d'Elsa
Barberino Val d'Elsa is a ''frazione'' of Barberino Tavarnelle which was until December 2018 a sovereign ''comune'' (municipality).
Barberino Val d'Elsa is located above the valley from which it takes its name. The centre of town is still ringed b ...
,
Castelnuovo Berardenga
Castelnuovo Berardenga is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about southeast of Florence and about east of Siena. Since 1932 it has been included in the Chianti wine-production area.
The ...
,
Greve in Chianti
Greve in Chianti (the old name was Greve; in 1972 it was renamed Greve in Chianti after the inclusion of that area in the Chianti wine district) is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Florence, Tuscany, Italy. It is lo ...
,
Monteriggioni
Monteriggioni is a ''comune'' in the province of Siena in the Italian region of Tuscany. It borders on the communes of Casole d'Elsa, Castellina in Chianti, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Colle di Val d'Elsa, Poggibonsi, Siena, and Sovicille. The ...
,
Poggibonsi
Poggibonsi is a town in the province of Siena, Tuscany, central Italy. It is located on the river Elsa and is the main centre of the Valdelsa Valley.
History
The area around Poggibonsi was already settled in the Neolithic age, although the firs ...
,
Radda in Chianti
Radda in Chianti is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about southeast of Florence and about north of Siena.
Radda in Chianti borders the following municipalities: Castellina in Chianti ...
,
Tavarnelle Val di Pesa
Tavarnelle Val di Pesa is a former ''comune'' (municipality) and since 2019 a ''frazione'' of Barberino Tavarnelle in the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany. It is located about south of Florence.
Sights
The main attract ...
.
History
![Via delle volte 3](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/Via_delle_volte_3.jpg)
The first settlements in the area dates from the
Etruscan __NOTOC__
Etruscan may refer to:
Ancient civilization
*The Etruscan language, an extinct language in ancient Italy
*Something derived from or related to the Etruscan civilization
**Etruscan architecture
**Etruscan art
**Etruscan cities
** Etrusca ...
age, and they were probably devastated by
Gaul
Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...
ish invasions at the time of the latter's invasions against
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
.
In the early Middle Ages the town was known as Salingolpe; in the 11th century
Matilda of Tuscany
Matilda of Tuscany ( it, Matilde di Canossa , la, Matilda, ; 1046 – 24 July 1115 or Matilda of Canossa after her ancestral castle of Canossa), also referred to as ("the Great Countess"), was a member of the House of Canossa (also known as th ...
gave it as fief to the counts
Guidi Guidi is an Italian surname shared by several notable people:
* Alessandro Pier Guidi (born 1983), racing driver from Italy
* Angela Maria Guidi Cingolani (1896–1991), Italian politician
* Antonio Guidi (1927–2013), Italian actor and voice ac ...
and, subsequently, to the Trebbio. In the early 15th century it became a stronghold, of which today the ''Rocca'' remain.
Main sights
![La rocca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/La_rocca.jpg)
*The massive ''Rocca'' (castle), with a huge 14th-century tower. It houses a small Etruscan museum.
*Church of ''San Salvatore'', with an early 15th-century fresco of ''Madonna with Child'' and a polychrome wooden statue of Christ from the same age.
*''Palazzo Ugolini-Squarcialupi''.
*''
Palazzo Bianciardi''.
*The ''Via delle Volte'' tunnel.
*Montecalvario Mound, outside the town. It consists of four 7th-6th century BC tombs.
*Poggino
necropolis
A necropolis (plural necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'', literally meaning "city of the dead".
The term usually im ...
, also in the neighbourhood.
*Romanesque church of ''San Martino'', at Cispiano
*Church of ''San Giorgio alla Piazza'', housing a 15th panel from
Cosimo Rosselli
Cosimo Rosselli (; 1439–1507) was an Italian painter of the Quattrocento, active mainly in his birthplace of Florence, but also in Pisa earlier in his career and in 1481–82 in the Sistine Chapel in Rome, where he painted some of the large ...
's workshop.
*''
Pieve
In the Middle Ages, a pieve (, ; la, plebe, link=no; plural ''pievi'') was a rural church with a baptistery, upon which other churches without baptisteries depended.
The Italian word ''pieve'' is descended from Latin ''plebs'' which, after th ...
of Sant'Agnese'', with a ''Madonna with Child'' by
Bicci di Lorenzo
Bicci di Lorenzo (1373–1452) was an Italian painter and sculptor, active in Florence.
He was born in Florence in 1373, the son of the painter, Lorenzo di Bicci, whose workshop he joined. He married in 1418, and in 1424 was registered in the G ...
.
Demographic evolution
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See also
*
History of Chianti
The history of Chianti dates back to at least the 13th century with the earliest incarnations of Chianti as a white wine. Today this Tuscan wine is one of Italy's most well known and recognizable wines. In the Middle Ages, the villages of Gaio ...
References
External links
Trip report with pictures and links from a stay outside Castellina in Chianti in July 2007
{{DEFAULTSORT:Castellina In Chianti
Castles in Italy
Etruscan sites