Monterchi 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 The province of Arezzo ( it, provincia di Arezzo) is the easternmost province in the Tuscany region of central Italy. Its capital is the city of Arezzo. The province is bordered by the regions of Marche, Emilia-Romagna, Umbria, and the provinces ...

in the Italian region of

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 southeast 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 east of

Arezzo Arezzo ( , , ) , also ; ett, 𐌀𐌓𐌉𐌕𐌉𐌌, Aritim. is a city and ''comune'' in Italy and the capital of the province of the same name located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about southeast of Florence at an elevation of above sea level. ...

. It sits in the northern part of

Valtiberina Valtiberina is a valley crossed by the upper course of the Tiber (which originates from Monte Fumaiolo in Emilia-Romagna), unfolding between Tuscany, Umbria and Romagna, parallel to the Casentino. Geography Valtiberina is bordered to the west by ...

(The Tiber Valley), the valley where the

Tiber The Tiber ( ; it, Tevere ; la, Tiberis) is the third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by the Riv ...

river runs going from Emilia-Romagna (where it originates from the

Mount Fumaiolo Mount Fumaiolo ( it, Monte Fumaiolo) is a mountain of the northern Apennines range of Italy located in the southernmost corner of the Emilia-Romagna region, c. 70 km from the town of Cesena. It is at the border Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany. ...

) towards

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 ...

. The valley runs through

Romagna Romagna ( rgn, Rumâgna) is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna, North Italy. Traditionally, it is limited by the Apennines to the south-west, the Adriatic to t ...

and

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

, parallel to the

Casentino The Casentino is the valley in which the first tract of the river Arno flows to Subbiano, Italy. It is one of the four valleys (alongside Valdarno, Valdichiana, and Valtiberina) in which the Province of Arezzo is divided. Mount Falterona, from ...

Valley. According to census data updated on Jan. 2017, the city's population was 1,742 while the Comune covers an area of .All demographics and other statistics: Italian statistical institute

Istat The Italian National Institute of Statistics ( it, Istituto nazionale di statistica; Istat) is the main producer of official statistics in Italy. Its activities include the census of population, economic censuses and a number of social, economic ...

. Monterchi borders with Anghiari,

Citerna Citerna is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Perugia in the Italian region Umbria, located about 50 km northwest of Perugia. It has recently been noted for its beauty, as one of the winning villages in the 'Borghi più Belli d'I ...

Città di Castello Città di Castello (); "Castle Town") is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Perugia, in the northern part of Umbria. It is situated on a slope of the Apennines, on the flood plain along the upper part of the river Tiber. The city is north of ...

Monte Santa Maria Tiberina Monte Santa Maria Tiberina is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Perugia in the Italian region Umbria, located about 40 km northwest of Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, cr ...

Toponyny

The name Monterchi (Mons

Herculis The Herculis is an annual track and field meet at Stade Louis II in Fontvieille, Monaco. Previously one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix events, it is now part of the Diamond League. World records Over the course of its history, five world reco ...

- "Mount of Hercules"), seems to originate from a legend stating that the half-god Hercules founded Monterchi after beating the

Hydra Hydra generally refers to: * Lernaean Hydra, a many-headed serpent in Greek mythology * ''Hydra'' (genus), a genus of simple freshwater animals belonging to the phylum Cnidaria Hydra or The Hydra may also refer to: Astronomy * Hydra (constel ...

, a

mythological Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...

monster with several heads. The history is still depicted in the coat of arms of the city's banner. Madonna del parto piero della Francesca

The most famous cultural attraction of Monterchi is the

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

of the ''

Madonna del Parto A Madonna del Parto ("Madonna of Parturition") is an iconic depiction of the Virgin Mary shown as pregnant, which was developed in Italy, mainly in Tuscany in the 14th century. Examples include works by Taddeo Gaddi, Bernardo Daddi and Nardo di C ...

'' by

Piero della Francesca Piero della Francesca (, also , ; – 12 October 1492), originally named Piero di Benedetto, was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. To contemporaries he was also known as a mathematician and geometer. Nowadays Piero della Francesca i ...

, painted between 1450 and 1465 in honour of the painter's mother,

Romana di Perino da Monterchi Romana may refer to: People * Romana (name), a feminine given name, including a list of people with the name * Romana (singer) (Romana Panić, born 1975), a Serbian pop singer * Romaña, a Spanish-language surname, including a list of people wi ...

, who was born in town and is in the Museo della Madonna del Parto di Piero della Francesca.

History

Monterchi was originally a

medieval 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, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

town, perched on a

hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct Summit (topography), summit. Terminology The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally con ...

overlooking the beautiful Tuscan

countryside In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, ...

which spreads around in every direction. What remains of the great walls once surrounding the small

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

, traditionally built to protect inhabitants and assets from invasions and attacks by ravagers, let Monterchi maintain part of the suggestive appearance of a

fortified town A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...

. Also some of the characteristics alleys typical of the towns built in 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 ...

are still visible, and they now provide shade from the hot Tuscan sun, while they used to be safer to guard and protect than larger ones in case of attacks. Monterchi, porta nelle mura 04

Unfortunately, some violent

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...

s significantly destroyed the original structure of the town, among them, the most violent ones were the one in 1352 (measuring 6 on the Richter scale) and the last one, on April 26, 1917. This is the reason why the medieval structure of the town only partially remains today and most of the buildings were built after 1917, like the

town hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

by Giovanni Michelucci, in the main square of the town. The new town has developed at foot of the hill, where the main street to go either to

or to

Sansepolcro Sansepolcro, formerly Borgo Santo Sepolcro, is a town and ''comune'' founded in the 11th century, located in the Italian Province of Arezzo in the eastern part of the region of Tuscany. Situated on the upper reaches of the Tiber river, the town ...

and

runs. Also at foot of the hill, the Cerfone is a stream along which cultural and gastronomic festivals are held during the summer, like the

Polenta Polenta (, ) is a dish of boiled cornmeal that was historically made from other grains. The dish comes from Italy. It may be served as a hot porridge, or it may be allowed to cool and solidify into a loaf that can be baked, fried, or grilled. ...

Fest, which takes place in September.

Demographics

Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.8) id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1) id:barra value:rgb(0.6,0.7,0.8) ImageSize = width:455 height:303 PlotArea = left:50 bottom:50 top:30 right:30 DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:4000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:1000 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:200 start:0 BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo BarData= bar:1861 text:1861 bar:1871 text:1871 bar:1881 text:1881 bar:1901 text:1901 bar:1911 text:1911 bar:1921 text:1921 bar:1931 text:1931 bar:1936 text:1936 bar:1951 text:1951 bar:1961 text:1961 bar:1971 text:1971 bar:1981 text:1981 bar:1991 text:1991 bar:2001 text:2001 PlotData= color:barra width:20 align:left bar:1861 from: 0 till:2798 bar:1871 from: 0 till:3046 bar:1881 from: 0 till:3137 bar:1901 from: 0 till:3283 bar:1911 from: 0 till:3282 bar:1921 from: 0 till:3413 bar:1931 from: 0 till:3320 bar:1936 from: 0 till:3374 bar:1951 from: 0 till:3389 bar:1961 from: 0 till:2823 bar:1971 from: 0 till:2022 bar:1981 from: 0 till:1919 bar:1991 from: 0 till:1913 bar:2001 from: 0 till:1880 PlotData= bar:1861 at:2798 fontsize:XS text: 2798 shift:(-8,5) bar:1871 at:3046 fontsize:XS text: 3046 shift:(-8,5) bar:1881 at:3137 fontsize:XS text: 3137 shift:(-8,5) bar:1901 at:3283 fontsize:XS text: 3283 shift:(-8,5) bar:1911 at:3282 fontsize:XS text: 3282 shift:(-8,5) bar:1921 at:3413 fontsize:XS text: 3413 shift:(-8,5) bar:1931 at:3320 fontsize:XS text: 3320 shift:(-8,5) bar:1936 at:3374 fontsize:XS text: 3374 shift:(-8,5) bar:1951 at:3389 fontsize:XS text: 3389 shift:(-8,5) bar:1961 at:2823 fontsize:XS text: 2823 shift:(-8,5) bar:1971 at:2022 fontsize:XS text: 2022 shift:(-8,5) bar:1981 at:1919 fontsize:XS text: 1919 shift:(-8,5) bar:1991 at:1913 fontsize:XS text: 1913 shift:(-8,5) bar:2001 at:1880 fontsize:XS text: 1880 shift:(-8,5) TextData= fontsize:S pos:(20,20) text:Data from ISTAT

Main sights

The best view of the countryside surrounding Monterchi, full of fields of

sunflowers ''Helianthus'' () is a genus comprising about 70 species of annual and perennial flowering plants in the daisy family Asteraceae commonly known as sunflowers. Except for three South American species, the species of ''Helianthus'' are native to N ...

and

tobacco cultivation Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the c ...

is the panoramic terrace of the Rocca (the ancient

Fortress A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

), up in the old part of the town. Monterchi, museo della madonna del parto 021

The main attraction of the town is though th
Museo della Madonna del Parto di Piero della Francesca
where the

fresco by

is displayed after being taken down from the wall of the Chapel of Santa Maria di Momentana by the local cemetery. Monterchi, chiesa di santa maria a momentana, 01

Monterchi, chiesa di santa maria a momentana, 01

Interesting is als
The Scales Museum
house of one of the most important collections of

scales Scale or scales may refer to: Mathematics * Scale (descriptive set theory), an object defined on a set of points * Scale (ratio), the ratio of a linear dimension of a model to the corresponding dimension of the original * Scale factor, a number w ...

and

weight In science and engineering, the weight of an object is the force acting on the object due to gravity. Some standard textbooks define weight as a Euclidean vector, vector quantity, the gravitational force acting on the object. Others define weigh ...

s in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

Monterchi, museo delle bilance, interno, 05

Many are the churches worth a visit. Monterchi, san simeone 02

Church of San Simeone, dating back to the Middle Ages. In 1830 it has been completely demolished and rebuilt and it was subsequently seriously damaged by the earthquake in 1917. It hosts a wooden crucifix and a ciborium in polychrome terracotta from the 15th century and a stone pulpit depicting Hercules killing the

from the 16th century. Church of San Michele Arcangelo ( St. Michael the Archangel) is a little outside the center of town, in the hamlet of Padonchia. It hosts many paintings depicting various saints such as

St. Christopher Saint Christopher ( el, Ἅγιος Χριστόφορος, ''Ágios Christóphoros'') is venerated by several Christian denominations as a martyr killed in the reign of the 3rd-century Roman emperor Decius (reigned 249–251) or alternatively u ...

and

St. Sebastian Saint Sebastian (in Latin: ''Sebastianus''; Narbonne, Narbo, Gallia Narbonensis, Roman Empire c. AD 255 – Rome, Roman Italy, Italia, Roman Empire c. AD 288) was an early Christianity, Christian saint and martyr. According to traditional beli ...

, a noteworthy work depicting che Archangel Michael battling against the devil and ancient architectural elements such as four figured

corbel In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal jutting from a wall to carry a superincumbent weight, a type of bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in the wall, whereas a console is a piece applied to the s ...

s sustaining the

vault Vault may refer to: * Jumping, the act of propelling oneself upwards Architecture * Vault (architecture), an arched form above an enclosed space * Bank vault, a reinforced room or compartment where valuables are stored * Burial vault (enclosure ...

of the Presbitery. A Madonna and Child from the first half of the 1400s is also worth the visit. Church dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel can be found in the nearby hamlet of Pianezze. Built in romanesque style, the Church has a wooden ceiling and a

terracotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based ceramic glaze, unglazed or glazed ceramic where the pottery firing, fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, a ...

floor. The main attraction is the

painting depicting the "Madonna della Misericordia" (Holy Virgin of Mercy) from the 16th century and a "

Pietà The Pietà (; meaning "pity", "compassion") is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus after his body was removed from the cross. It is most often found in sculpture. The Pietà is a specific form o ...

" in

polychrome Polychrome is the "practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." The term is used to refer to certain styles of architecture, pottery or sculpture in multiple colors. Ancient Egypt Colossal statu ...

The romanic church of St. Apollinare dates back to the 7th/8th centuries and it holds the typical romanic structure: a

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

, a semi-circular

apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an ''exedra''. In ...

and a

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

. The latter has then been decorated in the Seventeenth century. Church of St. Mary in Scandolaia, another hamlet near Monterchi, lies near the ruins of the Montagutello castle, on the slopes of Mount Felcino. It's maybe the oldest Church in the area, dating back to the 12th century. The wooden sculpture of the Madonna and Child which originally decorated the Church has now been moved to the Church of Le Ville. Monterchi, san benedetto 04

Church of San Benedetto is part of a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

that is said to have been built on the foundations of a preexisting hospital for wayfarers and sick men. The Church was completely renewed in the 16th century after the monastery had been destroyed during a local war. In 1840 the Church was renewed again by adding the

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...

s at the entrance and the decorations on the facade, the

plaster Plaster is a building material used for the protective or decorative coating of walls and ceilings and for Molding (decorative), moulding and casting decorative elements. In English, "plaster" usually means a material used for the interiors of ...

decoration of the interior and the

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

. Church of the Madonna Bella (Beautiful Virgin Mary) is in Pocaia, and was originally built around the first half of the 16th century to be an oratory dedicated to the Holy Virgin. It hosts a beautiful

in the style of Andrea Della Robbia which is believed to protect from car accidents. Monterchi, comune 01

Coming to more recent works, a significant palace within Monterchi is certainly the Town Hall, a project by the famous Florentine architect Giovanni Michelucci which has long been forgotten to be his creature, probably even by himself. Built right before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the paternity of the building has only recently made known to the public at large.

Churches

* Chapel of Santa Maria di Momentana * Church of Sant'Apollinare * Church of San Simeone * Church of San Benedetto * Church of San Michele Arcangelo (St. Michael the Archangel) in Padonchia *Church of San Michele Arcangelo (St. Michael the Archangel) in Pianezze * Church of the Madonna Bella (Beautiful Virgin Mary) *Church of Santa Maria in Scandolaia

Museums

Museo della Madonna del Parto di Piero della Francesca

The Scales Museum

Theaters

* Community Theater

Buildings

* Town Hall

References

{{authority control Cities and towns in Tuscany