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Inhabitants in 1991: 2.840
 The
municipal territory of Castiglione d’Orcia extends for 141,84 square
kilometres in the Val d’Orcia, on the north eastern slopes of Monte
Amiata. It was originally a feudal centre; then Vicariate Seat and
was raised to community in 1777 with the Leopoldina administrative
reforms; it reached its present day aspect in 1867 with the aggregation
of the districts of Campiglia d’Orcia, Bagni di San Filippo and
Caselle del Vivo, taken from the municipality of Abbadia San Salvatore.
Known at the beginning of the XI century with the name of Petra,
Castiglione (named thus at least from 1094), it was feudal to the Aldobrandeschi
Counts, a member of these in 1154 transferred part of his rights on
the castle to the Monks of the Abbey of San Salvatore of Monte Amiata.
In the middle of the 1200s Count Aldobrandino recognised the sovereignty
of Siena over Castiglione, which at the beginning of the 1300s passed
entirely under its jurisdiction thanks to an act of renunciation by the
Aldobrandeschi (paid for by Siena at a high price) and accepted a communal
vicar. The dominion of the castle was, during the years, several times
ceded by Siena to the financial oligarchy families, as guarantee for the
loans conceded to the government; thus first the Lordship of the Piccolomini
was affirmed then from 1368 that of the Salimbeni who made
Castiglione one of their bases for the rebellion against the Siena republic
until their subjugation in 1418. It passed with all the Siena territory
under the Fiorentino dominion in the middle of the XVI century,
in 1605 it was given in feudal with the title f Marquisate to the Noble
Bolognese Family Riario by Cosimo II. The municipality is the birth place
of the painter Lorenzo di Pietro called il Vecchietta (c.1412.1480)
Places to visit:
Ss. Stefano e Degna, Medieval parish church.. |
Historical info reproduced upon authorization of Regione Toscana - Dipartimento della Presidenza E Affari Legislativi e Giuridici
Translated by Ann Mountford |
