Murlo 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 Siena The province of Siena ( it, provincia di Siena, link=no, ) is a province in Tuscany, Italy. Its capital is the city of Siena. Geography The province is divided into seven historical areas: * Alta Val d'Elsa * Chianti senese * The urban area o ...

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 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 south 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 south of

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 centuri ...

. Murlo borders the following municipalities:

Buonconvento Buonconvento is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about south of Florence and about southeast of Siena in the area known as the Crete Senesi. History Buonconvento (from the Latin ''bonus ...

Civitella Paganico Civitella Paganico is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Grosseto in the Italian region Tuscany. It features agricultural land, the main economy of the region, interspersed with dense forest. It is home to a variety of plant and an ...

Montalcino Montalcino is a hill town and ''comune'' in the province of Siena, Tuscany, central Italy. The town is located to the west of Pienza, close to the Crete Senesi in Val d'Orcia. It is from Siena, from Florence and from Pisa. Monte Amiata is ...

Monteroni d'Arbia Monteroni d'Arbia is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Siena in the Italy, Italian region Tuscany, located about south of Florence and about southeast of Siena in the area known as the Crete Senesi. It takes its names from the Arbia ...

Monticiano Monticiano is a town and ''comune'' on the right bank of the Val di Merse, Province of Siena, Tuscany, central Italy. The town is situated on the Colline Metallifere. One of its ''frazioni'', Bagni di Petriolo, is popular for its thermal water ...

Sovicille Sovicille is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about south of Florence and about southwest of Siena. Sovicille borders the ''comuni'' of Casole d'Elsa, Chiusdino, Monteriggioni, Monteroni ...

History

From 1189 to 1778 it was the seat of the homonym "Feudo vescovile di Murlo", ecclesiastical

signoria A signoria () was the governing authority in many of the Italian city states during the Medieval and Renaissance periods. The word signoria comes from ''signore'' , or "lord"; an abstract noun meaning (roughly) "government; governing authority; ...

governed by the

bishop of Siena A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or offic ...

, of which remains the palace and the adjacent church of San Fortunato, where the Bishop celebrated religious rites. The hill of

Poggio Civitate Poggio Civitate is a hill in the commune of Murlo, Siena, Italy and the location of an ancient settlement of the Etruscan civilization. It was discovered in 1920, and excavations began in 1966 and have uncovered substantial traces of activity in t ...

was an ancient settlement located in the commune and currently the site of archaeological investigations. Most of the municipal population resides in Vescovado and Casciano. Vescovado is also home to the municipal house.

Geography

The territory, exclusively hilly, is between the valley of the river Merse and the

Val d'Arbia The Arbia is a torrent in Tuscany, central Italy, a tributary of the river Ombrone. Its source is located in the '' comune'' of Castellina in Chianti, at 620 m above sea level. It flows into the Ombrone near Buonconvento. The river is menti ...

. The landscape has high hills and woods on the side of the river Merse going towards the

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, bu ...

, but on the side of the river Arbia the hills are low and softer typical of the

Crete Senesi The Crete Senesi refers to an area of the Italian region of Tuscany immediately to the south of Siena. It consists of a range of hills and woods among villages and includes the ''comuni'' of Asciano, Buonconvento, Monteroni d'Arbia, Rapolano Term ...

. The municipality of Murlo can be considered in some respects a scattered municipality, as the village that gives its name to the municipality is not the town hall that is located, instead, in Vescovado. The village of Murlo (317 m a.s.l., 23 inhabitants)Data of the 2011 Istat census. is mostly a tourist center for the presence of the medieval walls, the museum and the cathedral, all municipal activities take place in the villages of Vescovado, where the town hall is located, and Casciano, the two most populous villages.

Hamlets

Bagnaia Bagnaia may refer to: Places * Bagnaia, Anghiari, a village in the province of Arezzo, Italy *Bagnaia, Livorno, a village in the province of Livorno, Italy * Bagnaia, Perugia, a village in the province of Perugia The Province of Perugia ( it, P ...

(246 m a.s.l., 16 ab.)Istat Census Data 2001. * Casciano (452 m a.s.l., 922 ab.) * La Befa (151 m a.s.l., 34 ab.) * Montepescini (256 m s.l.m., 16 ab.) * Vescovado (294 m a.s.l., 821 ab.)

Other locations in the territory

Other minor localities of the territory are Aiello, Belcano, Campeccioli, Campolungo, Campriano, Casanova, Crevole, Cucculeggia, Filetta, Fontazzi, Formignano, Frontignano, Gonfienti, Lupompesi, Macereto, Miniere di Murlo, Mocale, Montepertuso, Montorgiali, Olivello, Pacanino, Palazzaccio, Piantasala, Pieve a Carli, Poggiobrucoli, Poggiolodoli, Pompana, Resi, San Giusto, Santo Stefano, Tinoni, Vallerano.

Twin towns

* Giberville,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

References

External links

Official website
{{Siena-geo-stub