Montorio 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 ...

Sorano Sorano is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Grosseto, southern Tuscany (Italy). It as an ancient medieval hill town hanging from a tuff stone over the Lente River. History Sorano was probably inhabited by Villanovan culture, but the first ...

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 ...

, in the

tuff Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock cont ...

area of southern

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, but ...

Geography

Montorio is about 90 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 10 km from

, and it is situated along the Provincial Road which links Sorano to

Castell'Azzara Castell'Azzara is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Grosseto in the Italian region Tuscany, located about southeast of Florence and about east of Grosseto. It occupies the slopes of the Monte Amiata and was once important for the ex ...

History

It was included — along with

Castell'Ottieri Castell'Ottieri is a village in Tuscany, central Italy, administratively a frazione of the comune of Sorano, province of Grosseto, in the tuff area of southern Maremma. At the time of the 2001 census its population amounted to 195. Castell'Ottieri ...

San Giovanni delle Contee San Giovanni delle Contee is a village in Tuscany, central Italy, administratively a frazione of the comune of Sorano, province of Grosseto, in the tuff area of southern Maremma. At the time of the 2001 census its population amounted to 224. San G ...

and the castle of Sopano — in the small

County of Ottieri A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

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 ...

. The county was abolished in 1616.

Main sights

* ''Santa Maria'' (19th century), main church of the village, it was built in the 19th century in the place of the ancient chapel of the castle. It is a typical

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

architecture.Carlo Citter, ''Guida agli edifici sacri della Maremma'', Siena, Nuova Immagine, 2002. * Castle of Montorio (12th century), built by 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 ...

in the Middle Ages, it was then restructured by the Ottieri and then transformed into a fortified farmhouse after the annexation of the county in the

Grand Duchy of Tuscany The Grand Duchy of Tuscany ( it, Granducato di Toscana; la, Magnus Ducatus Etruriae) was an Italian monarchy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1859, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In th ...

.Giuseppe Guerrini, ''Torri e castelli della provincia di Grosseto'', Siena, Nuova Immagine, 1999. * Walls of Montorio, old fortifications which surround the village since the 12th century.

References

Bibliography

* Aldo Mazzolai, ''Guida della Maremma. Percorsi tra arte e natura'', Florence,

Le Lettere Le Lettere is an Italian publishing house based in Florence, founded in 1976 by publisher Federico Gentile, son of the philosopher Giovanni Gentile. History It was founded in 1976 by the publisher Federico Gentile (Naples 1904 - Florence 1996), ...

, 1997.

Montebuono, Sorano Montebuono is a village in Tuscany, central Italy, administratively a frazione of the comune of Sorano, province of Grosseto, in the tuff area of southern Maremma. At the time of the 2001 census its population amounted to 37.Montevitozzo Montevitozzo is a village in Tuscany, central Italy, administratively a frazione of the comune of Sorano, province of Grosseto, in the tuff area of southern Maremma. At the time of the 2001 census its population amounted to 106. Geography Montev ...

San Quirico, Sorano San Quirico is a village in Tuscany, central Italy, administratively a frazione of the comune of Sorano, province of Grosseto, in the tuff area of southern Maremma. At the time of the 2001 census its population amounted to 572. San Quirico is abou ...

San Valentino, Sorano San Valentino is a village in Tuscany, central Italy, administratively a frazione of the comune of Sorano, province of Grosseto, in the tuff area of southern Maremma. At the time of the 2001 census its population was 58. San Valentino is about fr ...

Sovana Sovana is a small town in southern Tuscany, Italy, a ''frazione'' of Sorano, a comune in the province of Grosseto. History Etruscan by origin, Sovana became a Roman ''municipium'', and, from the 5th century, an episcopal see. Conquered by Lomba ...

Frazioni of Sorano {{Grosseto-geo-stub

Geography

History

Main sights

References

Bibliography

See also