Inhabitants in 1991: 12.601
The
municipal territory of Reggello extends for 121,22 square kilometres prevalently
in the mountains, from the north eastern slopes of Pratomagno to Valdarno
Superiore. Ancient Medieval Podesta Office with the name of Cascia
it reached its present day territorial aspect in 1840,when the parishes
of San Clemente and Santa Maria di Sociana were annexed to it.
The present day Reggello is, probably, what was in ancient times called
Castelnuovo della pieve di Cascia, as is shown by two Papal edicts
in 1103 and 1134, and which was different from Castelvecchio di Cascia,
property of the Guidi Counts, where in 1248 some Fiorentini Guelfi
expelled from the Ghibellina district which were at the time dominant
in Firenze, found refuge. It passed under the dominion of the Fiorentina
republic between the end of the XIII and the beginning of the XIV centuries,
the Cascia castle was fortified in 1385, costing 2,000 pounds granted
by the Toscano capital.
The renaming
as Reggello, was taken as signifying the capital of the community,
arising from the Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo's law in 1773. In the
Reggello community territory and having even greater historic value
is the almost 1000 year old Vallombrosa Monastery, founded by San
Giovanni Gualberto de' Visdomini and Mother Basilica to the Vallombrosano
Order. The importance of the little hermitage constituted in the year
1000 grew rapidly for the numerous donation of the surrounding land, the
Abbot already had the title of Count of Magnale conferred on him by Matlde
di Canossa and, in XV century that of Marquis di Canneto and Monteverdi.
It was reconstructed in the second half of the 1400s in a form adapted
to the importance it had acquired and then again in the middle of the
XVI century after it had been badly damaged by the militia of Carlo V
in 1519, the monastery was suppressed by the Napoleonic laws in 1808.
Reconstituted in 1817, and again suppressed by the Italian Government
in 1866. It is from 1963 that the congregation returned totally
in possession.
Places to visit:
S. Pietro. ancient parish church of Cascia with a portico.
the interior houses precious works of art including a triptych by
Masaccio. |
Historical info reproduced upon authorization of
Regione Toscana - Dipartimento della Presidenza E Affari Legislativi e
Giuridici
Picture by Antonio Barletti
Translated by Ann Mountford
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