Lucignano 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 Arezzo 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 southeast 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 southwest of Arezzo. Lucignano borders the following municipalities:

Foiano della Chiana Foiano della Chiana is a small agricultural town in eastern Tuscany, in the province of Arezzo, between the cities of Sinalunga and Cortona. It is well known for its annual carnival. History Foiano's name, according to a legend, derives from the ...

, Marciano della Chiana,

Monte San Savino Monte San Savino is a town and comune in the province of Arezzo, Tuscany (Italy). It is located on the Essa stream in the Valdichiana. Several of its frazioni occupy higher hills, like Gargonza at and Palazzuolo, at an elevation of . History ...

, Rapolano Terme, and

Sinalunga Sinalunga is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Siena, in the Tuscany region of central Italy. History Aside from scanty prehistoric findings, the oldest historical remains date from the 8th century BC, when Sinalunga was perhaps an Etrusca ...

History

The name Lucignano probably derives from the Roman family of the consul Licinio. Known as the "pearl of

Valdichiana The Val di Chiana, Valdichiana, or Chiana Valley is an alluvial valley of central Italy, lying on the territories of the provinces of Arezzo and Siena in Tuscany and the provinces of Perugia and Terni in Umbria. Geography The Val di Chiana is ...

", Lucignano is a remarkably conserved medieval walled hill-top village (400 meters above sea level), elliptical in shape. Its altitude and strategic position on the road between

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 centur ...

and Arezzo meant that between 1200 and 1500 it was continually the subject of battles between these cities, involving also

and

Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and pa ...

. Its walls, with three gates, were constructed by the Sienese in 1371. Once the town came under the rule of

, construction began of the fortress, attributed to Bernardo Puccini.

Main sights

Sights include: * Sanctuary of the Madonna della Querce (attributed to

Giorgio Vasari Giorgio Vasari (, also , ; 30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance Master, who worked as a painter, architect, engineer, writer, and historian, who is best known for his work '' The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculp ...

), c. 1568 *Convent of the Cappuccini (c. 1580) * ''Church of the Misericordia'' (1582) *'' Collegiata di San Michele Arcangelo'' (1594) *''Church of San Francesco'' *''Church of San Biagio'' *''Church of Santissima Annunziata Of note is the elaborate reliquary made for the church of San Francesco, which is now in the Museo Civico, on the ground floor of the 13th Century town hall ( it, Palazzo Pretorio). Called the ''L’albero della vita'' (''

The Tree of Life ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

''; ''The Golden Tree'' or ''The Tree of Lucignano'') the central stem is supported on a

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

reliquary, from which spread out twelve branches, surmounted by a Crucifix and a pelican. On the branches there are sprigs of coral, representing the blood of Christ. The tree is gilded and bejeweled and is signed by two jewellers, Ugolino da Vieri in 1350 and Gabriello D'Antonio in 1471. Also in the museum are works by

Luca Signorelli Luca Signorelli ( – 16 October 1523) was an Italian Renaissance painter from Cortona in Tuscany, who was noted in particular for his ability as a draftsman and his use of foreshortening. His massive frescos of the ''Last Judgment'' (1499–15 ...

, the Sienese School, and a Crucifixion from

Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , ...

Cinema

The 2010 film ''

Certified Copy A certified copy is a copy (often a photocopy) of a primary document that has on it an endorsement or certificate that it is a true copy of the primary document. It does not certify that the primary document is genuine, only that it is a true c ...

'' directed by

Abbas Kiarostami Abbas Kiarostami ( fa, عباس کیارستمی ; 22 June 1940 – 4 July 2016) was an Iranian film director, screenwriter, poet, photographer, and film producer. An active filmmaker from 1970, Kiarostami had been involved in the production of ...

was set and filmed in Lucignano.

References

External links

Official website

www.lucignano.com/
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