Mercatale in Val di Pesa

Mercatale in Val di Pesa is an Italian village that is located in the municipality of San Casciano in Val di Pesa in the province of Florence.

Geography

Mercatale ( formerly called Mercatale dei Campoli or Mercatale di Campoli ) is located about 20 km south of Florence and 5 km southeast of San Casciano in Val di Pesa. It is the most important and populous district of the municipality, in the 2001 a little more than 2000 inhabitants lived. The village lies at 293 meters above sea level between the Pesa valley and the Greve valley area Chianti Fiorentino on the way from San Casciano in Val di Pesa Greve in Chianti.

History

The origin of the village (mostly castles ) to the late medieval development of some places that were in the vicinity of ways in which there was the trade of the country 's population. Here Mercatale served as a market and trading center. This origin is not only the name of the village ( " Mercatale " comes from the Italian word mercato - market ), but also confirmed by the trapezoidal shape of the main square, which is very well suitable in the past for markets. A similar structure can notice also in the neighboring town of Greve in Chianti, the (then Monte Ficalle or Mercatale di Greve ) arose out of the market " Montefioralle ".

The village was established on the initiative of the Administrator of the castle Montecampo reading (formerly called Montefalco ), who built on a site a public square, as Beccamorto ( gravedigger ) was known. The Montecampo read lock was already out in 1379 as ghibellinisches castle. Mercatale is also mentioned in the 1367-1370 written by Donato Velluti Chronicle often. In the following centuries, the population increase caused the final abandonment of the original hilly place Montecampo reading.

1594 was the chapel Oratorio della Compagnia del Sacramento, today's Church of Santa Maria, built in the marketplace. It was a parish church in 1786 and 1964, the last time restored. On the left side of the church stands the villa Nunzi, which was built by the Strozzi family. It consists of a trapezoidal structure with two symmetrical towers. In the eighties years Mercatale became known as Piccola Russia ( " Little Russian " ), because almost the entire population of the Italian Communist Party (PCI) joined.

In Mercatale of living in the 18th century adventurer Giuliano Dami was born, who was a lover of the Grand Duke Gian Gastone de ' Medici. The village is also known because there Pietro Pacciani ( see main article Monster of Florence ) lived, who was accused of having killed several people.

Attractions

  • Cappella dello Strozzo, also called Tabernacolo degli Strozzi, contains the fresco by Agnolo Bronzino La Pietà
  • Castello il Palagio, already mentioned castle 1252
  • Chiesa dei Cappuccini, containing the Terracotta figure Adorazione del Bambino by Andrea Della Robbia
  • Chiesa di Sant'Andrea a Luiano, Romanesque church from the 12th century
  • Chiesa di Santa Maria church in the main square
  • Pieve di Santo Stefano a Campoli, in the year 903 by the Badia a Passignano ( is today part of Barberino Val d'Elsa ) mentioned Pieve
  • Villa le Corti, the Villa Corsini family from the 16th century
  • Villa Nunzi, created by the Strozzi family villa
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