Montemerano is a village in

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 ...

, central

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, administratively 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 ...

of the

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 ...

of Manciano,

province of Grosseto The province of Grosseto ( it, links=no, provincia di Grosseto) is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Grosseto. As of 2013 the province had a total population of 225,098 people. Geography The Province of Gros ...

. At the time of the 2001 census its population amounted to 438.

Geography

Montemerano is about 48 km from

Grosseto Grosseto () is a city and ''comune'' in the central Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of the Province of Grosseto. The city lies from the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the Maremma, at the centre of an alluvial plain on the Ombrone river. It is the m ...

and 6 km from Manciano, and it is situated on a hill along the Provincial Road which links

Scansano Scansano is a town and comune, of medieval origin, in the province of Grosseto, Tuscany, central Italy. The area which Scansano lies within is called Maremma. Scansano area is home to the production of Morellino di Scansano, a type of wine. '' ...

to Manciano.

History

The village dates back to the

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 ...

, when it was a property of the

Aldobrandeschi The Aldobrandeschi were an Italian noble family from southern Tuscany. Overview Of probable Lombard origin, they appear in history as counts in the 9th century. The first known count was Hildebrand II (857). Their possession extended to what i ...

family (13th century) and then of the Baschi from

Orvieto Orvieto () is a city and ''comune'' in the Province of Terni, southwestern Umbria, Italy, situated on the flat summit of a large butte of volcanic tuff. The city rises dramatically above the almost-vertical faces of tuff cliffs that are compl ...

(14th century). It was then conquered by the

Republic of Siena The Republic of Siena ( it, Repubblica di Siena, la, Respublica Senensis) was a historic state consisting of the city of Siena and its surrounding territory in Tuscany, central Italy. It existed for over 400 years, from 1125 to 1555. During its e ...

during the 15th century.

Emanuele Repetti Emanuele Repetti (1776-1852) was an Italian historian and naturalist who wrote extensively on the history of Tuscany. He was born in Carrara.Italian Institute of Archaeology, University of Siena http://www.archeogr.unisi.it/repetti/paginerep/bior ...

,
Montemerano
», ''Dizionario Geografico Fisico Storico della Toscana'', 1833-1846.

Main sights

* ''San Giorgio'' (14th century), main parish church of the village, it was built by the Baschi and expanded in 1430. It was restored in 1980. The church contains a ''Madonna in trono col Bambino e santi'' by

Sano di Pietro Sano di Pietro or Ansano di Pietro di Mencio (1405–1481) was an Italian painter of the Sienese school of painting. He was active for about half a century during the Quattrocento period, and his contemporaries included Giovanni di Paolo and Sas ...

(15th century) and the curious ''Madonna della Gattaiola'' (Virgin Mary of the cat flap) by the local artist known only as Maestro di Montemerano (The Master from Montemerano).Bruno Santi, ''Guida storico-artistica alla Maremma. Itinerari culturali nella provincia di Grosseto'', Nuova Immagine, Siena, 1995, pp. 292–301. * ''

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 ...

di San Lorenzo'' (12th century), former parish church of the village, it is the oldest building in Montemerano, as mentioned in an act of 1188. It was deconsecrated and now it is used for cultural activities. * ''Madonna del Cavalluzzo'' (15th century), it was built as a chapel and then restructured in the 17th century. * Walls of Montemerano, old fortifications which surround the village since 13th century. The walls have three gates: ''Porta di San Giorgio'', ''Porta Romana'' and ''Porta Grossetana''.

References

Bibliography

* Bruno Santi, ''Guida storico-artistica alla Maremma. Itinerari culturali nella provincia di Grosseto'', Nuova Immagine, Siena, 1995, pp. 292–301. * Giuseppe Guerrini, ''Torri e castelli della provincia di Grosseto'', Nuova Immagine Editrice, Siena, 1999.

Geography

History

Main sights

References

Bibliography

See also