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Inhabitants in 1991 : 5,601
The Municipal territory of Poppi in the Valdarno Casentinese, extends
for 97,03 square kilometres from the ridge of the Tosco-Romagnolo Apennines
to the valley bottom crossed by the Arno, between plains, hills and mountains.
The centre is situated on a terraced hillock from which it dominates
the Campaldino plain and the high valley of the Arno. Feudal to
the Counts Guidi of Battifolle, it then became a Vicariate Seat.
The first historical record of Poppi goes back to 1169, when it
was cited in a document belonging to the Abbey of San Fedele di Strumi,
but the most significant act was in 1191 :in a certificate
by Emperor Arrigo VI with which many Castles between Romagna and
Toscana became confirmed as a feudal to Count Guido Guerra dei
Guidi, among which were Poppi, Battifolle, Porciano ;from then
on for nearly three centuries, the history of Poppi is closely
connected with that of its Lords, who were, for a long time, among
the most powerful of the Tuscan feudal nobles, often protagonists in
the principal events of the Fiorentini politics of the XII
and XIII centuries. In 1261 Count Simone surrounded the township
with walls and began the construction of the palace, which was finished
towards the end of the century by his son Guido. Followers of the Ghibellina
faction, the Guidi di Poppi were forced, after the death of Manfredi
(1266), to make an act of submission to the Guelfi who were dominant
in Firenze. On 11th June 1289, close to the walls of the
Castle in the plain of Campaldino, the historic battle was fought
between Firenze and Arezzo,
which sanctioned the predominance of Firenze and the Guelfo formation
in Toscana, even if for the moment without any concrete acquisition of
territory. The next year the Fiorentini, returning from an unfruitful
expedition against Arezzo,
devastated the Casentino, setting on fire the Castle of Poppi, out
of hatred for the Count Guido Novello who had been Vicariate General
to King Manfredi in Firenze. Finally in 1440, during an assault
by the Milanesi military commanded by Niccolò Piccinino, Count
Francesco dei Guidi who had favoured the enemies of Firenze after
the Fiorentini victory at Anghiari, was besieged in his Castle
and forced to surrender. Passing into the possession of the Fiorentina
republic, Poppi became Vicariate Seat with jurisdiction covering the
whole of the Casentino. Among its illustrious sons must be remembered
the sculpture Mino, called da Fiesole (1430-1484), the artist
Francesco Morandini, called il Poppi (1544-1597) and the free thinker
and poet Tommaso Crudeli (1703-1745). In the community territory
there are the ruins of the Abbey of Strumi (X century) primarily
Benedettina then Vallombrosana, and the Hermitage of Camaldoli, constructed
at the beginning of the XI century by San Romualdo near the Apennine
ridge surrounded by thick Fir and Beech woods. In April of 1944 during
the German occupation more than 150 inhabitants of Poppi were deported
and many of them died in the concentration camps.
Places to Visit :
Count Guidi Palace, positioned to dominate the valley, the
impressive building was constructed in the second half of the 1200s
as a strengthener to the fortress. In the front there is a large garden.
Madonna del Morbo, a unique circular plan church started in
1657 and finished in 1705. |
Historical info reproduced upon authorization of Regione Toscana - Dipartimento della Presidenza E Affari Legislativi e Giuridici
Translated by Ann Mountford
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