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Visita il Mugello, culla dei Medici, a due passi da Firenze e le bellezze toscane
 

Visiting Tuscany

 

 
 

Towns of the area

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Vicchio

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Inhabitants in 1991: 6.271

The municipal territory of Vicchio extends for 138,89 square kilometres between hills and mountains in Val di Sieve in central Mugello. Medieval Podesta Office it reached its present day territorial aspect in 1983 when the districts of Celle and Villa were detached from it and aggregated to the municipality of Dicomano.

The building of the castle walls at Vicchio according to the official origin goes back to 1324. It was constructed on the will of the Fiorentina republic, who on those hills and mountains had for almost half a century battled against the antique Lords of the territory the Guidi Counts, by walling a small group of houses raised up in the preceding years by the hands of those who had abandoned the run down castles and the feudal courts of Ampinana, Gattaia, Filiccione and Montesassi. The population of the new land augmented in the course of the XIV century with the definitive submission of Count Guido da Battifolle, and acquired importance after they had received from Firenze in 1477 the concession of being able to hold a weekly market. In 1529 the castle posed an epic resistance to the troops of Filibeto d'Orange and of Pope Clement VII, who in spite of the major quantity of means had to wait more than four months and suffer in the meantime numerous defeatds before the captain who defended it Filippo Parenti thought it necessary to retreat to Marradi.

Gravely damaged in an earthquake in 1798 another ruinous one suffered again in 1919. The tradition has it that in the neighbourhood of Vespignano Giotto was born (1267?-1337); and the Blessed Angelico (1395-1455) also came from Vicchio. During the second world war it was badly damaged and the nazi troops effected scourges and bloodshed in 1944.

Places to visit:
Museum of Blessed Angelico, which does not contain works of art of the artist of whom it takes its name, but has a collection of sacred art with objects coming from the churches of the territory.
Piazza Giotto, square in shape on which front the antique Palazzo Pretorio and the parochial of S. Giovanni Battista.
Birth place of Giotto at Vespignano, which hosts a collection of document and testimonies of the life to the artist.

Historical info reproduced upon authorization of Regione Toscana - Dipartimento della Presidenza E Affari Legislativi e Giuridici
Translated by Ann Mountford

 
 
 
   
 
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