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Inhabitants in 1991: 17.164
 The
municipal territory of Montemurlo extends for 30,66 square kilometres,
in hills and plains in the Valle dell’Ombrone. Feudal land and
then Podesta office, it reached its present day municipal aspect in 1775,
when it was proclaimed Seat of the community by Pietro Leopoldo.
Situated where there had been a habitation since the Etruscan times,
the Montemurlo castle was possessed by the Guidi Counts in the
Medieval, who were Lords documented from the beginning of the XII century;
after this Pistoia was proprietor for a short time in 1203 considering
it part of their own county, it became progressively under the possession
of Firenze. In 1254 the Fiorentini managed to complete their intention
by acquiring half of the castle from two descendents of the ancient Lords
Guido Guerra VI and Guido da Porciano for 5,000 florins (it seems that
the first half had already been acquired in 1209) and sent a Podesta and
Castilian to reside there.
Fame was confirmed to Montemurlo in 1324 when Castruccio Castacani
had to besiege it for a long period before managing to conquer it and
again in 1537 when Baccio Valori and Filippo Strozzi in favour of the
Fiorentino republic party, shut themselves in, surrounded by a strong
contingent of soldiers hoping to be able to beat the Lords of Cosimo I
dei Medici. But the attempt had an inauspicious end, since the Medicea
troops with an unexpected night time raid overwhelmed the rebels. Montemurlo
was then deprived of its Podesta office dependent first on the Montale
Podesta and then that of Prato, while the fort was acquired by the Fiorentino
family dei Nerli, who transformed it into a villa. In the last thirty
years the municipality has been distinguished for a building and industrial
development among the most extensive in the Pratese area. Enlarging
its township into the plains.
Historical info reproduced upon authorization of Regione Toscana - Dipartimento della Presidenza E Affari Legislativi e Giuridici
Translated by Ann Mountford |
