Campiglia Marittima 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 Livorno
The province of Livorno or, traditionally, province of Leghorn ( it, provincia di Livorno) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Tuscany region of Italy. It includes several islands of the Tuscan Archipelago, including Elba and Capraia. Its cap ...
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
it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Citizenship
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 = Italian
, demogra ...
, located about southwest of
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...
and about southeast of
Livorno.
Its toponym has been attested for the first time in 1004 as ''Campiglia'' and derives from the Latin ''campus'' ("field"). In 1862 the word ''marittima'' (from Latin ''Maritima'') was added to underline its belonging to the
Maremma
The Maremma (, ; from Latin , "maritime and) is a coastal area of western central Italy, bordering the Tyrrhenian Sea. It includes much of south-western Tuscany and part of northern Lazio. It was formerly mostly marshland, often malarial, bu ...
, the area washed by
Tyrrhenian Sea
The Tyrrhenian Sea (; it, Mar Tirreno , french: Mer Tyrrhénienne , sc, Mare Tirrenu, co, Mari Tirrenu, scn, Mari Tirrenu, nap, Mare Tirreno) is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenian pe ...
.
Overview
Situated in a hill overlooking the sea and the surrounding countryside, the town has medieval origins but traces of Etruscan and Roman civilizations can be found as well. Its past is linked to metal-working activities as it's witnessed by the Val Fucinaia furnaces and the remains of mining and metallurgical works in the Archaeological-Mineral Park of San Silvestro of San Silvestro.
Geography
Campiglia Marittima is situated in the Upper
Maremma
The Maremma (, ; from Latin , "maritime and) is a coastal area of western central Italy, bordering the Tyrrhenian Sea. It includes much of south-western Tuscany and part of northern Lazio. It was formerly mostly marshland, often malarial, bu ...
region, near the river Cornia, an intermittent watercourse which gives its name to the area Campiglia belongs to, the so-called Val di Cornia. The bounding municipalities are
Piombino,
San Vincenzo and
Suvereto.
The ''comune'' includes the ''
frazioni
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 territ ...
'' of
Cafaggio and
Venturina Terme, and the small hamlets of Banditelle and Lumiere.
[
]
Culture
The town hosts ''Apritiborgo Festival'', a street art festival that has been held annually since 2005, usually in mid-August.
Main sights
Palazzo Pretorio
The building, ancient seat of political and military power, is an important evidence of Campiglia's late medieval period and shows the influence of two dominant Tuscan cities, Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...
and Pisa. The original facade is made of two white-grey limestone arches in which an inscription indicates that the building was erected in 1246. The upper part of the facade is enriched with 72 heraldic emblems that date from 1406, year in which Campiglia passed under the rule of Florentine Republic. The building was originally smaller and it was enlarged several times down the centuries. Palazzo Pretorio houses the Municipal Historical Archive, a mineralogical museum, a children's library and the permanent exhibition of Carlo Guarnieri's paintings and engravings.
Rocca
The medieval complex of the Rocca rises on the peak of the hill where Campiglia lies. The building has an irregular polygonal plan and is made up of different parts. The oldest remains are the central tower, the cistern and scattered traces of stonework. In 1932, the construction of the municipal aqueduct brought considerable damages to the complex, such as the alteration of the ancient plan. In 1990 the Rocca was acquired by the Municipality of Campiglia. From 1994 the Department of Medieval Archeology of the University of Siena
The University of Siena ( it, Università degli Studi di Siena, abbreviation: UNISI) in Siena, Tuscany, is one of the oldest and first publicly funded universities in Italy. Originally called ''Studium Senese'', the institution was founded in 1240 ...
started an archaeological dig whose results are currently shown in the museum (Museo della Rocca) opened in 2008. It was detected the presence of a farmer's wooden-hut village since the 10th century, while the traces of the first stone buildings dates back to the 12th century as residential area for the powerful Della Gherardesca family, ruler of Campiglia at the time. At the end of the 13th century, since the local political scenario had been changed, a Pisan garrison settled in the castle, as witnessed by pieces of weapons and armours dug up in the area.
Archaeological-Mineral Park of San Silvestro
The park covers 450 hectares in the north of Campiglia Marittima and it shows history of mining and metallurgical cycle from the Etruscan era to the present day. The remains of Rocca San Silvestro, a fortified borough built by the della Gherardesca family in the 10th-11th centuries, represent the heart of the park. Lanzi-Temperino Tunnel, where visitors on board a train can discover the journey of the minerals, and Temperino Mine, where evolution of the techniques used to extract minerals is retraced, are as well noteworthy.
Teatro dei Concordi
The theatre was built in the half of 19th century. The project was funded by the Accademia dei Concordi, an association of Campiglia's wealthy citizens, and it was inaugurated on 26 December 1867. Its interiors are decorated by painter Michele Albioni and organized in three tiers of palchi (private boxes). It was acquired by the Municipality in 1990.
Museum of sacred art
Opened on 11 July 2003, it displays a collection of items for liturgical and devotional use which represent the historical and artistic heritage of the parish church of San Lorenzo. It is housed in the underlying room beneath the Church, the so-called Sala delle Volte (“vaulted room”), that is what is left of a medieval building.
Churches
* ''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 t ...
of San Giovanni'': the Pisane Romanesque style church of San Giovanni is characterised by simple architectural lines with a plan in the form of a tau cross and a small apse at the end of the central aisle. According to a memorial inscription placed on the sides of the main door, the church was built in 1173. In the external side of the left transept, just below the edge of the roof, a palindrome magical formula is inscribed in a stone plaque. This Latin sentence, which reads "SATOR AREPO TENET OPERA ROTAS", is an example of Sator Square
The Sator Square (or the Rotas-Sator Square, or the Templar Magic Square) is a two-dimensional acrostic class of word square containing a five-word Latin palindrome. The earliest Sator squares were found at several Roman-era sites, all in ROT ...
and it lays out on three lines that may be read left-to-right or right-to-left. The architrave of the left-side portal features a stone carving that represents a wild boar hunting scene referring to Etruscan and Roman tradition.
* ''Parish church of San Lorenzo'': it was first mentioned in 1325. Originally it had only a single aisle but later the transept and the 17th century Chapel of Mercy were added. Its interiors are embellished with 16th - 17th-century paintings, especially “Our Lady of Graces” attributed to Master of San Torpè.
* ''Church of Sant'Antonio'': according to the historian Isidoro Falchi, the church was first mentioned in a 16th-century historical reference and it was presumably built in this period. The church, made of sandstone and limestone, has a single aisle and a gabled facade. A few steps from the main entrance a new tabernacle depicting Saint Anthony the Abbot was unveiled on 5 July 2015. It was realised by students from Florence Academy of Fine Arts.
* ''Sanctuary of Madonna di Fucinaia'': it lies along the road from Campiglia to San Vincenzo. The year of construction is uncertain. Its first historical reference dates back to 1493 (other sources indicate the early 16th century) referring to the annexation of a monastery assigned to Augustinian friars
The Order of Saint Augustine, ( la, Ordo Fratrum Sancti Augustini) abbreviated OSA, is a religious mendicant order of the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1244 by bringing together several eremitical groups in the Tuscany region who were fo ...
. The Sanctuary takes its name from a painting of the Virgin
Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...
which, according to tradition, was found in a forge (“fucina”) near this site. A copy is displayed above the altar while the original painting is preserved in the parish church of San Lorenzo.
Lampo statue
There is a statue of the dog called '' Lampo'' (''Lightning'' in Italian) at the Campiglia Marittima railway station in Venturina Terme. It commemorates the dog that was famous in Italy during 1950s for travelling by train. On the evening of 22 July 1961 in Campiglia Marittima, a maneuvering cargo train hit the dog, who was then buried in the flowerbed at the foot of an '' acacia'' tree at the railway station.
Notable people
* Lucio Colletti, politician and philosopher
* Isidoro Falchi, doctor and archaeologist
* Renato Fucini, poet
* Riccardo Fogli
Riccardo Fogli (born 21 October 1947 in Pontedera, Province of Pisa, Italy) is an Italian singer.
Biography
Early career
Riccardo Fogli was born on 21 October 1947 in Pontedera. He was fond of music since his childhood and taught himself to pla ...
, singer
* Luciano Luci, football referee
Gallery
File:Campiglia centro di Campiglia Marittima Toscana Italia Foto 2005 Wolfgang Pehlemann Wiesbaden Germania PICT0041.jpg, Piazza della Repubblica
File:Campiglia Marittima impressione mediterraneo Toscana Italia Foto 2005 Wolfgang Pehlemann Wiesbaden Germania PICT0050.jpg, Panorama
File:Campiglia muratura archi in Campiglia Marittima Toscana Italia Foto 2005 Wolfgang Pehlemann Wiesbaden Germania PICT0041.jpg, Archi in muratura
File:Parco minerario di San Silvestro - Miniera del Temperino.JPG, Temperino Mine, in the Archaeological-Mineral Park of San Silvestro
File:Chiesa di Sant'Antonio Campiglia Marittima.jpeg, Church of Sant'Antonio
Bibliography
* Isidoro Falchi, ''Trattenimenti popolari sulla storia della Maremma e di Campiglia Marittima'', Prato, 1880.
* Riccardo Belcari, ''Romanico tirrenico: chiese e monasteri medievali dell'Arcipelago Toscano e del litorale livornese'', Pacini, Ospedaletto, 2009.
See also
* Venturina Terme
References
External links
Official website
{{authority control
Cities and towns in Tuscany