The City of Città della Pieve |
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 La
storia della cittą
During the Etruscan-Roman period, the modern-day territory of Città della Pieve belonged to Chiusi, as demonstrated by the numerous archaeological artefacts found at the bottom of the hillsides along the Valdichiana and now kept in various European museums. Nevertheless, in Città della Pieve there remains a unique Etruscan obelisk, dating to the sixth century BC, which can now be seen on the ground floor of Palazzo Corgna.
The first urban settlement was established in about the seventh century BC as a fortified outpost of the Longobard duchy of Chiusi within sight of Byzantine Perugia. Outside the castrum along the modern-day Via Manni - once called Via Lombardia for obvious reasons - a parish church, or "pieve", was built in the eighth century. The church, with baptismal functions, was dedicated to Saints Gervase and Protase (martyrs from Milan and thus from "Longobardy"). The parish church absorbed the last "fragments" of paganism according to a procedure that was widespread in Tuscia: the individuals who entered the church to become Christians also acknowledged themselves as a community on a civic level. Thus, a town was built around the parish church and towards the year 1000, it was enclosed within the new city walls, forming "Castello della Pieve", which was the ancient name of the city. The original centre grew because of the progressive extension of the marshlands of Valdichiana, driving the valley populations to higher land.
As of 1188, the city fell under the domination of Perugia, which was particularly interested in controlling the agricultural territories of "Chiugi" (between Lake Chiusi and Lake Trasimeno) and in defending its borders against its enemy, the Republic of Siena. The middle classes of the city, involved in brick-works and the weaving of a highly prized fabric known as "crimson cloth", rebelled constantly, aspiring to communal freedom. Thus, the headstrong Ghibellines of Città della Pieve opposed the Guelphs of Perugia. This led to the protection of the city under Frederick II of Sweden and the establishment of the free commune as of 1228, the year in which the imperial army and Sienese army invaded the Valdichiana valley to fight against the Guelph cities of Orvieto and Perugia.
Città della Pieve web site |
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