Inhabitants in 1991: 3.008
The municipal territory of Santa Fiora extends for 62,91 square kilometres
in a zone of medium mountains placed at the extreme southern slope of
Monte Amiata It was a dominion of the Aldobrandeschi in the Medieval
era, remained capital and the Seat of the same name county until the
end of the 1700s. The municipal boundaries also originally comprised Castell’Azzara,
detached from it in 1915 to form an autonomous municipality, and the district
of Cellena aggregated in 1963 to the new municipality of Semproniano.
Recorded for the first time in a document from the year 890,
Santa Fiora was already subject, at the beginning of the XI century,
to the Lordship of the Aldobrandeschi Counts, who made it the Seat
of their county, comprising at the time nearly all the actual province
of Grosseto and which was divided in 1274 between the two branches of
the family. The county of Santa Fiora, to whom was assigned, among others,
the castles of Arcidosso, Magiano, Demproniano, Scansano and Roccastrada,
lived longer than that of the Counts of Sovana and Pitigliano, but suffered
in the course of the XIII and XIV century, the military initiative
of the Siena republic disturbed by the excessive power of the Aldobrandeschi.
Between 1328 and 1331 Siena initiated new raids, captained by Guidoriccio
da Fogliano, which destroyed the county territory and brought about the
conquest of some of the Aldobrandeschi castles, among which Montemassi,
Castel del Piano and Arcidosso. From 1439 Santa Fiora and its county
passed to the Sforza family through the marriage of the last descendent
of the Aldobrandeschi, Cecilia with Buiso, son of Muzio Attendolo Sforza.
After two centuries of uncontested Lordship by the family, in 1633 Count
Mario Sforza besieged by debts, was forced to sell the sovereignty of
Santa Fiora to the Grand Duke Ferdinando II dei Medici, who contemporarily
re-consigned it to him in feudal. At the end of the 1600s Santa Fiora
passed, always by lineage, to the branch of the Sforza-Cesarini, who maintained
the feudal until 1789. During the Liberation struggle the zone was theatre
of intense partisan activity.
Places to visit: The Parish Church, named for
Ss. Fiora e Lucilla, ancient construction with a three nave interior
rich with works of art. |
Historical info reproduced upon authorization of Regione Toscana - Dipartimento della Presidenza E Affari Legislativi e Giuridici
Translated by Ann Mountford |