Le Sieci (or Sieci, formerly Remole) is 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 territ ...

Pontassieve Pontassieve is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about east of Florence, nearby Fiesole, at the confluence of the Arno and Sieve rivers. History The first rulers of the are ...

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 ...

in the Italian 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 ...

Physical geography

The town is located along the banks of the

Arno The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber. Source and route The river originates on Monte Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and initially takes a s ...

river, at the point where the homonymous Sieci torrent flows (4 km), on the slopes of the Remole hillock (249 m). It borders to the north with Molino del Piano, to the east with the municipal capital, to the south with the hamlet of Villamagna in the municipality of

Bagno a Ripoli Bagno a Ripoli is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about southeast of Florence. The International School of Florence has its primary school campus in the comune.

, and to the west with the hamlet of Compiobbi in the municipality of

Fiesole Fiesole () is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region of Tuscany, on a scenic height above Florence, 5 km (3 miles) northeast of that city. It has structures dating to Etruscan and Roman times. Sin ...

History

The village of Sieci is mentioned in the thirteenth century for a place, called Lucente, located among the possessions of the archbishop's mess in Florence near San Martino a Sieci (today Molino del Piano). The toponym is however mentioned to indicate the homonymous torrent as early as the early 11th century. In the early

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 a ...

the castle of Remole acquired importance, which was confirmed in 1191 by the emperor Henry VI to the Benedictine nuns of Sant'Ellero, entrusting the patronage of the parish church of San Giovanni and its court to Guido Guerra,

Count palatine A count palatine (Latin ''comes palatinus''), also count of the palace or palsgrave (from German ''Pfalzgraf''), was originally an official attached to a royal or imperial palace or household and later a nobleman of a rank above that of an ord ...

of Tuscany. It was reconfirmed to his heirs by Frederick II in 1220 and 1247. The village of Remole in 1833 had 766 inhabitants. In the mid-nineteenth century, with the opening of the railway station, the hamlet began to expand along the railway track, near the Arno downstream of the castle of Remole, ending up taking on its current name ''Le Sieci''. With its 3,500 inhabitants registered in the 2011 census, Le Sieci is the most populous village in the

Municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Monuments and places of interest

Of particular interest are the parish church of San Giovanni, built in the Middle Ages in pure

Romanesque style Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe characterized by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque style, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 11th century, this later ...

, and the now abandoned Brunelleschi pottery factory, the oldest in the area, dating back to 1774. Not far away is the church of Saints Martino e Giusto in Quona, while in Gricigliano there is the Villa di Gricigliano, where the international seminary of the

Institute of Christ the King The Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (ICKSP; la, Institutum Christi Regis Summi Sacerdotis []; french: Institut du Christ Roi Souverain Prêtre []) is a Roman Catholic society of apostolic life of pontifical right in communion with ...

High Priest is located.

Anthropic geography

The town is divided into several districts: the center (Le Sieci), Le Sieci di Sotto, Giani and Remole, the historic core of the hamlet. The center of the village overlooks the main Piazza

Albizzi The Albizzi family () was a Florentine family originally based in Arezzo, who were rivals of the Medici and Alberti families. They were at the centre of Florentine oligarchy from 1382, in the reaction that followed the Ciompi revolt, to the rise ...

Economy

In Sieci there are the so-called " gualchiere di Remole", overlooking the

. Their foundation is believed to go back to the mid-14th century (after the 1333 flood ); the first documents on the site date back to 1425. They represent one of the rare examples of an Italian industrial factory belonging to the late Middle Ages. The ownership of the complex passed through the Albizzi, Rucellai and Valori, then it was owned by

Arte della Lana The Arte della Lana was the wool guild of Florence during the Late Middle Ages and in the Renaissance. It was one of the seven '' Arti Maggiori ''("greater trades") of Florence, separate from the ''Arti Minori'' (the "lesser trades") and the ''Art ...

(1541–1728) which, following the cessation of the activity, passed the property to

Santa Maria del Fiore Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnight ...

. During the

Napoleonic era The Napoleonic era is a period in the history of France and Europe. It is generally classified as including the fourth and final stage of the French Revolution, the first being the National Assembly, the second being the Legislative ...

it was then the turn of the Chamber of Commerce of Florence and subsequently of the Municipality of

which has owned it since 2009.

Infrastructure and transport

The hamlet is located along the Aretina road that connects Pontassieve to Florence and is served by its own railway station (Sieci station) on the Florence-Rome line.

Note

# ^ ^{''a b c''} Emanuele Repetti, « Sieci », in the ''Physical and Geographical Dictionary of Tuscany'' , vol. 5, Florence, p. 294. # ^ ^{''a b c d e''} Repetti, « Remole », in the ''Dictionary'' , cit., vol. 4, pp. 740–741. # ^ # ^ # ^ Museo Galileo website, Gualchiere di Remole

Bibliography

* Emanuele Repetti, « Sieci », in the ''Physical and Geographical Dictionary of Tuscany'' , vol. 5, Florence, p. 294. Frazioni of the Province of Florence {{Italy-geo-stub