Arcidosso
| Arcidosso | |||
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| — Comune — | |||
| Comune di Arcidosso | |||
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 Arcidosso
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| Coordinates: 42°52′N 11°32′E / 42.867°N 11.533°E | |||
| Country | Italy | ||
| Region | Tuscany | ||
| Province | Grosseto (GR) | ||
| Frazioni | Bagnoli, Macchie, Montelaterone, Salaiola, San Lorenzo, Stribugliano, Zancona | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Emilio Landi | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 93.3 km2 (36 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 679 m (2,228 ft) | ||
| Population (31 December 2009)[1] | |||
| • Total | 4,384 | ||
| • Density | 47/km2 (121.7/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym | Arcidossìni | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 58031 | ||
| Dialing code | 0564 | ||
| Website | Official website | ||
Arcidosso is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Grosseto in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 100 km south of Florence and about 35 km northeast of Grosseto and near the town of Montalcino.
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[edit] History
The first certain documentation of the existence of the settlement of Arcidosso is from the year 860, which it is said to belong to the Abbey of San Salvatore. In 1331, Guidoriccio da Fogliano besieged it for four months with an army of 4,000 soldiers and 400 horsemen, until it surrendered. After the fall of the Republic of Siena in 1556, it passed under the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. Cosimo I de' Medici established many outlying offices here.
Following the Leopoldina Reformation of 1786, it lived a conspicuous demographic increment and the number of its citizens quadrupled in about 100 years. Arcidosso therefore became historically the most important political and administrative center of Monte Amiata.
[edit] Main sights
[edit] Aldobrandeschi castle
The construction of the first nucleus of the castle, around which the town would develop, dates from about the year 1000. From the 12th to the 14th century it was a stronghold of the Aldobrandeschi and bulwark against invasion by Siena in the Amiata territory. The north side of the complex is characterized by a tower that rises beyond the roof of the highest building in the compound. The top of the tower is crowned by a series of blind arches resting on shelves. The fortress, recently restored, is used today as a space for cultural activities. From the top of the tower there is a splendid panorama of Mount Amiata.
[edit] Historic centre
The historic center of Arcidosso, one of the most striking of Amiata, develops in a long pyramid shape along the plateau dominated by the castle. Only three gates of the original medieval walls remain, of which two are original – the Porta di Castello and the Porta Talassese towards the sea. From here, going down towards Codaccio, is the Porta dell’Orologio, built in 1851 to replace the Porta di Mezzo.
[edit] Others
Arcidosso is also home to several medieval churches, most notably the San Salvatore Abbey, the Chiesa della Madonna dell'Incoronata (Church of the Madonna Crowned), where pilgrims journeyed to pray for the end of the great plague, Chiesa di San Niccolò, the patron saint of Arcidosso, and the Chiesa di San Leonardo. These churches contain medieval frescoes, paintings and icons. Local legend has it that Merlin, the enchanter associated with the Arthurian cycle, lived in a cave between Arcidosso and neighbouring Castel del Piano.
