Map - IT - Firenze - Comunità Montana Mugello

The Mugello is a historic region and

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between Hill, hills or Mountain, mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers ...

in northern

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 ...

, in Italy, corresponding to the course of the River Sieve. It is located to the north of the city 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 includes the northernmost portion of the

Metropolitan City of Florence The Metropolitan City of Florence ( it, Città Metropolitana di Firenze) is an administrative division called metropolitan city in the Tuscany region, Italy. Its capital is the city of Florence. It replaced the Province of Florence. It was first c ...

. The Futa Pass connects the Mugello valley to the separate

Santerno river The Santerno is a river in Romagna in northern Italy. It is a major tributary of the river Reno. In Roman times, it was known as the ''Vatrenus'' (small ''Renus''), although, in the Tabula Peutingeriana, it was already identified as the ''Santernus ...

valley.

History

The Mugello valley was settled by a Ligurian tribe known as the Magelli, hence the name. Then the region was occupied by the

Etruscans The Etruscan civilization () was developed by a people of Etruria in ancient Italy with a common language and culture who formed a federation of city-states. After conquering adjacent lands, its territory covered, at its greatest extent, rou ...

who left many archaeological traces and who built the first road network of the Mugello. The subsequent

Ancient Roman In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...

conquest and colonization of the Mugello region dates back to the 4th century BCE. It is not only testified by several finds such as tombs, coins, and walls, but also, through toponymy, e.g. names of places ending with the praedial suffix ''-ano'' (Latin '' -anus'') or ''-ana'': Cerliano, Figliano, Marcoiano, Galliano, Lucignano, etc. CiperssiMugello

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 Mugello was home to numerous

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

s. The Mugello region was later acquired by the

Republic of Florence The Republic of Florence, officially the Florentine Republic ( it, Repubblica Fiorentina, , or ), was a medieval and early modern state that was centered on the Italian city of Florence in Tuscany. The republic originated in 1115, when the Flo ...

. Several patrician families of the area built

villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became s ...

s here, such as those of the

Medici The House of Medici ( , ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici, in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century. The family originated in the Muge ...

including

Villa Medicea di Cafaggiolo The Villa Medicea di Cafaggiolo is a villa situated near the Tuscan town of Barberino di Mugello in the valley of the River Sieve, some 25 kilometres north of Florence, central Italy. It was one of the oldest and most favoured of the Med ...

and

Villa Medicea del Trebbio The Villa del Trebbio is a Medici villas, Medici villa in Tuscany, Italy. Description The villa is located near San Piero a Sieve in the Mugello region, in the province of Florence, in the area from which the Medici family originated. It was o ...

In 1999 a

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

was constructed across the Sieve river, forming the reservoir of

Lake Bilancino Lago di Bilancino is an artificial lake near Barberino di Mugello in the Metropolitan City of Florence, Tuscany, Italy, made with a dam on the river Sieve The Sieve is a river in Italy. It is a tributary of the Arno, into which it flows at Pontas ...

in the Mugello valley.

In popular culture

The Mugello gives its name to the

Mugello Circuit Mugello Circuit () is a race track in Scarperia e San Piero, Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The circuit length is . It has 15 turns and a long straight. The circuit stadium stands have a capacity of 50,000. Grand Prix motorcycle racing host an ann ...

(), an automobile race track that hosts an annual

Moto GP Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start of ...

event, and to the Mugellese chicken, a bantam breed.

Towns

Borgo San Lorenzo Borgo San Lorenzo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about northeast of Florence. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 18,085 and an area of .All demographics and o ...

Scarperia Scarperia is a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' (municipality) of Scarperia e San Piero, located in the Metropolitan City of Florence, in Tuscany, Italy, about north of Florence. It was an independent comune until 1 January 2014. Main sights * Ch ...

Barberino di Mugello 240px, Villa di Cafaggiolo. Barberino di Mugello is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about north of Florence. Barberino di Mugello borders the following municipalities: Ca ...

San Piero a Sieve San Piero a Sieve is a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' (municipality) of Scarperia e San Piero, located in the Metropolitan City of Florence, in Tuscany, Italy, about north of Florence. It was an independent comune until 1 January 2014. Main sigh ...

Vicchio Vicchio is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about northeast of Florence. As of 2016, it had a population of 8,105 and an area of . Geography Vicchio borders the munic ...

Dicomano Dicomano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about northeast of Florence. Dicomano borders the following municipalities: Londa, Rufina, San Godenzo, Vicchio Vicchio is a tow ...

San Godenzo San Godenzo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about northeast of Florence, in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines. San Godenzo borders the following municipalities: Dicomano, Lon ...

Palazzuolo sul Senio Palazzuolo sul Senio (formerly ''Palazzolo di Romagna''; Romagnolo: ''Palazol'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about northeast of Florence. Palazzuolo sul Senio borders ...

History

In popular culture

Towns

See also