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Inhabitants in 1991: 7.145
 Manciano
extends for 372,03 square kilometres in a hilly zone situated between
the Valleys of Albegna and Fiora. Castle placed under the Lords Aldobrandeschi
and Orsini in the Medieval, it was Vicariate Seat in modern times.
It has suffered various changes to its borders which included Capalbio
until 1843. In 1928 it incorporated the districts of Catabbio and San
Martino, detached from the municipality of Sorano; from 1963 Catabbio
was assigned to the territory of the new municipality of Semproniano.
The first mention of the Manciano castle is found in a privilege
emanated in 1188 by Pope Clemente III in favour of the church of Sovana.
In that era it was already subjugated to the Aldobrandeschi dominion
and in 1274 with the act of division of the Aldobrandesca county, it was
assigned to the branch of the Counts of Sovana. At the beginning of
the 1300s it was occupied by Orvieto and, subsequently it was acquired
by the dominion of Baschi, Lords of the nearby castle of Montemerano.
Between 1331 and 1332 the municipality of Orvieto again managed
to exert its sovereignty over Manciano, even though it recognised, with
a stipulated pact in 1335, great autonomy to its inhabitants; but
in the same period the Orsini Lords claimed it who would have subsequently
inserted the castle in the Pitigliano county. Conquered in 1416 by
Siena, who carried out fortification, it remained there after tied
to the rise of the Siena republic. Also of historic interest are
the districts of Marsiliana and Montemerano, already possessions
of the Lords of the Baschi family, and above all that of Saturnia,
Seat of an important Etruscan and Roman settlement, it belonged until
the 1300s to the Aldobrandeschi who contested it with Orvieto for many
years, it was subsequently dominated by the Baschi, the Orsini and from
1410 by Siena. In the Giolitti period there developed a strong rural organization
in the municipality of Manciano, the so called “Lega miglioramento
campagnole” (the league for rural improvement) which brought
among other things land occupation of the vast holdings of the Marsiliana
(1904). Theatre of intense partisan activity during the resistance,
it was the first centre in Toscana to be liberated, on 12 June 1944.
Manciano is the birthplace of the artist Pietro Aldi (1852-1888).
Historical info reproduced upon authorization of Regione Toscana - Dipartimento della Presidenza E Affari Legislativi e Giuridici
Translated by Ann Mountford |
