Orbetello is a town and ''
comune'' in the
province of Grosseto (
Tuscany),
Italy. It is located about south of
Grosseto, on the eponymous lagoon, which is home to an important Natural Reserve.
History
Orbetello was an ancient
Etruscan settlement, which in 280 BC passed under the control of the
Romans, who had founded their colony of
Cosa (near the modern
Ansedonia).
The emperor
Domitian had a substantial property here, which had belonged to the Domitii Ahenobarbi and he inherited through his wife
Domitia Longina
Domitia Longina ( 50–55 – 126–130s AD) was a Roman empress and wife to the Roman emperor Domitian. She was the youngest daughter of the general and consul Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo. Domitia divorced her first husband, Lucius Aelius Lamia P ...
. He also built other sumptuous villas nearby for his courtiers.
In the Middle Ages it was a possession of the
Aldobrandeschi family, who held it until the 14th century, when it was acquired by the city of
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 ...
. After several struggles with the
Orsini of
Pitigliano and Orvieto, in the following centuries Orbetello was captured by the
Sienese Republic. In the mid-16th century it was part of the
State of Presides, a Spanish possession, becoming its capital.
The town was besieged by the French during the
1635-1659 Franco-Spanish War. This led to the inconclusive naval
Battle of Orbetello on 14 June; in July, a Spanish army forced the French to lift the siege.
It formed part of 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 ...
until 1860, when it joined the newly
unified Kingdom of Italy.
In 1927–33,
Italo Balbo's "air cruises" started from Orbetello's lagoon. During
World War II, the
German Air Force's 2nd Squadron of
Embarked Air Group 196 used the lagoon as a base for its
Arado Ar 196 float planes for a brief period in 1943.
Government
''Frazioni''
The municipality is formed by the municipal seat of Orbetello and the towns and villages (''
frazioni'') of
Albinia,
Ansedonia,
Fonteblanda,
Giannella,
San Donato and
Talamone.
List of mayors
Main sights
*The city walls (5th century BC).
*Cathedral of ''Santa Maria Assunta'', built over an Etruscan-Roman temple and restructured in 1375 along
Tuscan-Gothic lines. Preceded by a step, it houses some notable 15th-century frescoes.
*The Spanish ''Forte delle Saline'', in the ''frazione'' of
Albinia.
*Remains of the Roman city of Cosa in the ''frazione'' of
Ansedonia.
*Ruins of the Monastery of ''Sant'Angelo''.
References
External links
Orbetello,
Peninsulas of Italy
{{Grosseto-geo-stub