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Montepiano is fraction of the Municipality of Vernio that records a total of 5.526 habitants, most northern of the Province of Prato. It is localization near the great curve of the Bisenzio River, and comprises Fiumenta and Carigiola Valley, (both affluents of the Bisenzio River) and the First Side of Setta's Valley. The communal territory is crossed therefore from the Appennine Watershed.
In Roman Age and for all the Middle Ages one of the main roads that connected the Prato's Province to the Po Valley (in Nord Italy) went back the grip Bisenzio Valley until to the Montepiano's Road, following that kind of traced natural way from the river and already used in pre-Roman age.
The first takeovers of which we know presence in the the Bisenzio' Valley probably were realized from the Roman who gave them to theirs peasants awardees of contese lands with Galliums; between these takeovers we can find the origins of Vernio, where it's supposed journing the Roman's Military in the Gallia Cisalpina, whose name would derive exactly from expression " hibernia" (winter encampments) or from expression " verus" (spring).
The Barbaric Invasions and the fragmentation of Roman Empire favored the popolation increase in the valley, the Longobardi, come down in Bisenzio after the 570 d.c., was expression of a life way deeply legacy to breeding , the exploitation of the resources of the forest and in particular to the chestnut, fruit today still deeply legacy to the tradition of the zone.
The Middle Ages of the dominating ones and the submitted ones, the nobles and the peasants, begins with the Longobardi and in particular with the dynasty of the Cadolingi which the Berengario Emperor assigns the better lands (in particular the zone of Cavarzano), than they quickly make to yield, fixing tax for the free peasants people living there. In this age we can find to reign In the territory of Vernio, the Alberti Dinasty , calls the "The Angry Peoples" for the overbearingness, the intrigues and the crimes that characterized their dominion, created a military control, that had his epicenter in the " Rocca", which with to an extended net of disposed fortifications in strategic way long the Bisenzio Valley, it concurred to signal the arrival of the enemies and every movement of who salted to Appennino Pratese Mountains under their domination.
In the XI century lived in the zone a " Abbot" , the blessed soul Peter, the whose holiness and a series of religious and lay wonderful events carried a group of faithfuls people to him. These founded, around 1095, a Abbey near Montepiano , of which Peter was first Abbot. According to the tradition the two more famous squanderers was near the "Source of Romito" (a water source) , on the path for l' Alpe di Cavarzano, a time goal of pilgrimages , today for tourist excursions.
"...During a hunting, a wild bunny was sheltered under the frock of Peter in order to escape from Sir. Bardi who is catching it. Him shortly reached and asking to Peter if he had seen the animal. The friar gave a negative answer but the Sir did not believe to such answer and asserted that it would have been easier that a tree jumped in rump its horse rather than the wild bunny was not between the feet of the friar.......
In that time quickly a tree lay down on the saddleback of the amazed horse...........
Sir. Bardi was shocked.....".
(in the abbey they remember the history In a picture painting of '200 and in a low relief picture of 1700).
The other miracle, which reproposed in a religiuous work art of nineteenth-century near the source, was the transformation of water of the source in wine, for give to drink to one of the Cadolingi reigning.
In the course of XII the century several little rural commons formed themselves in the territory of the Alberti, mainly contrasted from the new born Common of Prato, that pushed own border end over Vaiano, while consolidated on the territory an organization in "Popolations" or "Villas", equipped of churches employee from the guiding church of Filettole, Usella, Sofignano, Montecuccoli, Sant' Ippolito, that reigning on themself, over the Cadolingi, symptom of a diminished power of that dinasty family, than from the end of that century to the second half of the 1300's breaking its possessions selling Vernio to the Bardi's Family, Castiglione to the Pepoli Common, Mangona and Cerbaia to Florence Common, Cantagallo, Luicciana and Migliana to Pistoia Common. |
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In 1332 therefore, the territory of Vernio, it passes from Alberti' family to the Bardi's family from Florence, than between the end of the 1200's and the first half of the successive century had given life to a great bank and mercantile company , thanks to which, they had obtained a prominent position in the political and economic life of the city. Own the extraordinary resources, concurred with Piero di Gualterotto of the Bardi to acquire from Daisy of the Alberti, for a price of 10.000 fiorini, an immense region comprising territory S. Ippolito, and Costozze on a sunny hill, on the road between S. Quirico and Maciano, Saletto and Montecuccoli. In front of Costozze an other hill, Poggiole, dominated the new takeover of Mercatale, destined to assume an important role as place of Fairs and Exchanges since trades them the late Middle Ages and warehouse of lumber of the fir-woods of Montepiano, waiting that it was thrown in Bisenzio, for taken to Prato by the River. This was also the more adapts zone for rising of the first industrial activities of territory (the hydraulic flour mills ) and for the textile mills that borning here approximately a century ago.
(between which the "Meucci" factory at present destined to museum and center conferences).
On the road of Montepiano, Sasseta was a takeover of houses scattered, inhabited generally from shepherds who lived of rooming, passing their life between the summery seasons on the hill of Mezzana and Castellare and the winters passed in the Maremma's Plain .
Luciana, born just in front of Sasseta, on other side of the Fiumenta, in a favorable and solar geographic position, dominated from a mount on which was a tower and a noble dwelling today passings.
Chief town of this little one state, was without a doubt S.Quirico, where about the half of the 1600 the Governators of Vernio had transferred their dwelling, in the said palace the "Casone" (today center of the Town Hall), made to build up from the Conte Ridolfo and from where they trained their domine lands till the 1798 year of their deposition.
Vernio, until begin of 1700, lead a secluded life and , second several descriptions of the age the economic and cultural conditions of the population were extremely poor. The insufficient agricultural resources, nearly the total lack of handicraft activities, the mercantile and political isolation disheartened the inhabitants of the territory, not less of the deriving weight of to be submitted to a family continuously jolt from wefts of conquests and many times condemned for crimes store outside from theirs territory.
A personality that came off from the life and the customs of the other Bardi, was Sir Ridolfo, erudite and generous man, than sensitive next to the risen ones unfortunate of own submited people ones it thought to lighten of the suffering, leaving they, with testament of 17 February 1693, all its immense patrimony, instituting the Religious Charity of S. Niccolò di Bari, that it had the protection and the administration of the acquired assets. About 1780, reigning in Tuscany Peter Leopoldo he had a controversy between he and the family of Bardi in front of the Aulic Council of Vienna. The Granduca considered Vernio employee from the Granducato of Tuscany, while Conti Bardi supported their autonomy of imperial territories and therefore dependent directly and only of Emperor. The 16 October 1787 the Aulic Council of Vienna established, receiving the tesi of the Bardi's Family, than Vernio was imperial territory and that the Granduca of Tuscany did not have some right to upset the Family nell' exercise of command, so making useless the plan of Peter Leopoldo to make to construct inside of Vernio's territory those drawn of road that lacked in order to catch up the "Path of Montepiano"for have a easily military access.
With the Advent of the French revolutionary ideas, continuations from the Campaign in Italy of Napoleone Bonaparte, was come to form, in May 1797, the Cisalpina Republic.
Objective of it was to abolish the "feudalesimo" where still existed and, with the decree 20 of Fruttidoro - year V (6 September 1797), declared Vernio part of the same Republic.
The 15 September of the same year, a battalion of approximately 200 soldiers Franc-Poles entered indisturbati in Vernio, escorting the lawyer Leone di Poppi named Extraordinary Commissioner, which removed from command the Bardi's Family and fixed its residence in the "Casone di S. Quirico". Vernio was joined to Administration Department of Bologna and was decreed that the inhabitants did not pay more tax to Bardi's Family. Those performances, than under the name of " fitti" they were obliged to pay.
This was the end of the "Feudo of Vernio" and to stop a lordship that had the command for eight centuries.
In the 1802 Napoleone, under the push of the newborn Italian feeling, it changed the name of Cisalpina in Italian Republic and, 26 May 1805, in Italico Reign. In the 1811 Vernio it came detached from the reign and re-united to the Department of Arno that made part of French Empire. With the fall of Napoleonico's Empire the Conference of Vienna, with action of the 9 June 1815, annexed Vernio to the Granducato of Tuscany.
Finally found a sure autonomy the premises were opened also for Vernio in order to become part in the national development economic and political that carried to the italian's unit , in particular the possibility to take advantage of waters of the Bisenzio favored the takeover of numerous factories between which the Meucci to Mercatale and woven's companies that seen in the production of orients carpets by "Peyron Plant of the Mulinnovo" their maximum expression on territory economy.
In the first thirties years of the ' 900 and especially in 1924/1934, the construction of the Great Gallery in the Appennino' Mountains 18 kilometers on "Most Direct Road" Florence-Prato-Bologna, said a strong impulse of economy of the valley creating un' exceptional possibility of job and placing a brake to the migrations ages in Maremma's Territory and Corsica, for the cut of the forests and coal production, to which the men of the higher zones they were forced to resort in order to live.
From begin of the century the zone of Montepiano comes indicated, like place of rest and montana holiday for the families of the rich bourgeoisie, that they begin to set off towards a city and industrial distance.
In the 2 War World Vernio like many other countries of Tosco-emiliano Appennino was crossed from the Gotich Line that was the last bastion of the German defense in Italy.
The front line was allocated for various months carrying serious destructions and enormous uneasiness but the inhabitants of these mountains gave actions of great courage, participating actively to the Resistance and supporting in the formations partisans who operated in the Prato's Territory and on the Appennini's Mountains.
Montepiano center of the German commando came heavy bombed from the allies and it tells to people voice who in such strafings has gone lost beyond that many hotels and manifacturing structures, also an important thermal center of sulphureous waters
going back to roman age.
In 1950 the crisis of agriculture and the landslide of the lease earth system changed deeply the aspect of the valley: disappearing the great small farms and the same figure of the peasant. Large changes were had at last also in the great factories of the valley, that they closed the clappers, in order to leave the place to small productive units.
Today remain the same the beauty of the landscape and the naturally of products, of air and water. The zone is goal of , visits to local or apt monuments, to enjoy the sport passions like Fishing in soft waters thanks to the many rivers and course of water present in the territory or the Hunting thanks to immense woodland that come constantly renewed.
The autumn is a good period for who like find fungi in this territory present numerous and of optimal quality and with the become of the spring and summer who practical trekking finds the ideal atmosphere for this sport.
Clik on Images to have of a magnified vision . |
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