Byways in southern Tuscany . e north, foundedthis city, giving it his name. There are those who sayit is he who is commemorated by a grotesque carving onthe outer wall of the church of Santa Maria, which shows aperson of a cheerful countenance whose either hand beingextended at a right angle from his body, is being greedilyswallowed by attendant dragons. The province underwent the vicissitudes of all Italyduring its ruinous invasions, and from a period of fertihtyand prosperity, declined with the rest of the its authentic history begins—about the ninth cen-tury—it was governed by
Byways in southern Tuscany . e north, foundedthis city, giving it his name. There are those who sayit is he who is commemorated by a grotesque carving onthe outer wall of the church of Santa Maria, which shows aperson of a cheerful countenance whose either hand beingextended at a right angle from his body, is being greedilyswallowed by attendant dragons. The province underwent the vicissitudes of all Italyduring its ruinous invasions, and from a period of fertihtyand prosperity, declined with the rest of the its authentic history begins—about the ninth cen-tury—it was governed by the famous Aldobrandeschifamily, whose power waxed till, in the twelfth century,their rule as Counts of Santa Fiora extended from MonteAmiata west to Grosseto, and south beyond the borders ofTuscany. But, turbulent and quarrelsome, they warredwith each other, and their lack of solidarity was one of thecauses which led to their loss of sovereignty and the break-ing up of their great realm. It was their vaunt that they 258. Pitigliano. The Aqueduct. BYWAYS IN SOUTHERN TUSCANY owned more fortified towns than there were days in theyear, and Fra FiHppo in his Book of Ensamples remarksthat such was their conduct they furnished in the end alarge contingent to the devil. Princely brigands and ma-rauders they were, and as they held the key to the twogreat southern highways, that by the shore and the greatinland one, the Via Francigena, they could descend at willupon all travelers and exact what they pleased, till at lastSiena curbed their intolerable lawlessness. At the fateful battle of Montaperti the famous Aldo-brandino il Conte Rosso, son of Guglielmo—tl GranTosco of Dante—found himself opposed by his cousin,Aldobrandino di Bonifazio. These two being the headsof the family and neither willing to submit to the other asparamount, a separation of territory was agreed upon afew years later, the River Albegna being roughly the line ofpartition and Aldobrandino di Bonifazio retain
Size: 1315px × 1901px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjecttuscany, bookyear1919
