Santa Fiora 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 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 Gro ...

, 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 of

Tuscany it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

, located about southeast of

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

and about east of

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 ...

. Santa Fiora borders the following municipalities:

Abbadia San Salvatore Abbadia San Salvatore is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about southeast of Florence and about southeast of Siena, in the area of Monte Amiata. The town is named after the Abbey of th ...

Arcidosso Arcidosso is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Grosseto in the Italian region of Tuscany, located about south of Florence and about northeast of Grosseto and near the town of Montalcino. History The first certain documentation of ...

, Castel del Piano,

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 ...

Piancastagnaio Piancastagnaio is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about southeast of Florence and about southeast of Siena. It is located on the Monte Amiata slopes. The main attractions include th ...

Roccalbegna Roccalbegna is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Grosseto in the Italian region Tuscany, located about south of Florence and about east of Grosseto. History Roccalbegna was a fief of the Aldobrandeschi in the Middle Ages; later it ...

Semproniano Semproniano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Grosseto in the Italian region of Tuscany, about south of Florence and about east of Grosseto. Semproniano borders the following municipalities: Castell'Azzara, Manciano, Roccalbegna ...

History

Santa Fiora is mentioned for the first time in 890 AD, in a document listing properties of the Abbey of San Salvatore, Sforza Cesarini Archive Rome. By the eleventh century the lords of Santa Fiore were 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 ...

who, in 1082, started the construction of a castle here (''Castello S. Flore'') and walled the ''borgo''. The power of the abbey passed by degrees to the Aldobrandeschi ''conti di San Fire'', and in turn to the hegemony in Lower Tuscany of the commune 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 centur ...

, which was strong influence on Santa Fiora by the mid fourteenth century, a future already foreseen by

Dante Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian people, Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', origin ...

: "''e vedrai Santafior com' è oscura''", "and you shall see how obscure is Santa Fiore" (''

Purgatorio ''Purgatorio'' (; Italian for "Purgatory") is the second part of Dante's ''Divine Comedy'', following the '' Inferno'' and preceding the '' Paradiso''. The poem was written in the early 14th century. It is an allegory telling of the climb of D ...

'', canto VI, 111). In 1439, with the marriage of Cecilia Aldobrandeschi and Bosio

Sforza The House of Sforza () was a ruling family of Renaissance Italy, based in Milan. They acquired the Duchy of Milan following the extinction of the Visconti family in the mid-15th century, Sforza rule ending in Milan with the death of the last me ...

, the castello and its town passed to the Sforza. The Sforza of Santa Fiora reached their highest point of power with count

Guido Sforza di Santa Fiora Guido is a given name Latinised from the Old High German name Wido. It originated in Medieval Italy. Guido later became a male first name in Austria, Germany, the Low Countries, Scandinavia, Spain, Portugal, Latin America and Switzerland. The me ...

, who managed to establish himself as a relative of Pope Paul III Farnese, thereby gaining prestigious political positions for his relatives. Later the family became the

Sforza Cesarini The House of Sforza () was a ruling family of Renaissance Italy, based in Milan. They acquired the Duchy of Milan following the extinction of the Visconti family in the mid-15th century, Sforza rule ending in Milan with the death of the last me ...

, who are still well represented and living in their Roman Palazzo Sforza Cesarini. The sovereign rights of the small state of Santa Fiora were sold to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany under Leopold II though all feudal rights remained to the family. The comune was of importance for its mineral wealth in

Monte Amiata Mount Amiata is the largest of the lava domes in the Amiata lava dome complex located about 20 km northwest of Lake Bolsena in the southern Tuscany region of Italy. It is located within the provinces of Grosseto and Siena. Geology Mount Am ...

cinnabar Cinnabar (), or cinnabarite (), from the grc, κιννάβαρι (), is the bright scarlet to brick-red form of mercury(II) sulfide (HgS). It is the most common source ore for refining elemental mercury and is the historic source for the bri ...

, from which mercury is derived. In the Middle Ages and during the modern era Santa Fiora was the capital of an independent state, the County of Santa Fiora.

''Frazioni''

The municipality is formed by the municipal seat of Santa Fiora and the villages (''

frazioni 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 Bagnolo, Bagnore, Marroneto and

Selva Selva () is a coastal comarque (county) in Catalonia, Spain, located between the mountain range known as the Serralada Transversal or Puigsacalm and the Costa Brava (part of the Mediterranean coast). Unusually, it is divided between the provinc ...

Main sights

Churches

Pieve In the Middle Ages, a pieve (, ; la, plebe, link=no; plural ''pievi'') was a rural church with a baptistery, upon which other churches without baptisteries depended. The Italian word ''pieve'' is descended from Latin ''plebs'' which, after t ...

of ''Sante Flora e Lucilla'' * Church of ''San Giuseppe'' * Church of ''Suffragio'' * Church of ''Sant'Agostino'' * Church of ''Santa Chiara'' * Church of ''Madonna delle Nevi'' * Church of ''San Rocco'', midway between Santa Fiora and the village of Marroneto * Church of ''Santissimo Nome di Maria'' in the village of Bagnolo * Church of ''Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore'' in the village of Bagnore * Convent of ''Santissima Trinità'' between Santa Fiora and the village of

Palazzi

* ''Palazzo Sforza Cesarini'', built in 1575 over the

castle (of which two medieval towers still can be seen). * ''Palazzo Pretorio'' * ''Palazzo Luciani''

Others

* Museum of mercury mines of

* ''Peschiera'' of Santa Fiora

Notable people

Candido Amantini Servant of God Candido Amantini (January 31, 1914 – September 22, 1992), was an Italian Roman Catholic Passionist priest, Rev Fr Candido of the Immaculate, C.P., a Master Exorcist, spiritual director and confessor. For 36 years as Fr Amantini ...

, Catholic priest and exorcist *

Ernesto Balducci Ernesto Balducci (6 August 1922 – 25 April 1992) was an Italian Catholic priest and peace activist. Biographical notes Balducci was born in Santa Fiora, Tuscany, Italy. When he was twelve, his father was laid off and the ''Scolopi'', a religi ...

, Roman Catholic priest and peace activist *

Laura Morante Laura Morante (born 21 August 1956) is an Italian film actress. Life and career Morante was born in Santa Fiora, province of Grosseto (Tuscany), the daughter of lawyer and playwright Marcello Morante, who was the son of Irma (née Poggibonsi) ...

, actress * Mario Pratesi, writer *

Valerio Valeri Valerio Valeri (7 November 1883 – 22 July 1963) was an Italian Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for Religious in the Roman Curia from 1953 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate ...

, Roman Catholic cardinal

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control