Pitigliano

Pitigliano was already a popular and inhabited place since the times of the Etruscans, when numerous settlements dug into the tuff were founded here and attested to from the late Bronze Age (XII-XI century BC).

The first news of Pitigliano appears in a bull sent by Pope Nicholas II to the provost of the cathedral of Sovana in 1061, where it is already indicated as the place of competence of the family of the Aldobrandeschi counts. In 1293 Anastasia, daughter of Countess Margherita Aldobrandeschi, married Romano Orsini bringing the county of Sovana as a dowry and the county seat was transferred to Pitigliano. The Orsini ruled the County of Pitigliano for centuries, defending them from the continuous attempts of submission by Siena and Orvieto first, and then by Medici Florence. It was only in 1574 that Niccolò IV Orsini ceded the fortress to the Medici and in 1604 Pitigliano was annexed to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, sold by Count Gian Antonio Orsini to pay off his debts.

Today it is a well-known tourist destination thanks to the peculiarity of its historic center, which has allowed its inclusion in the ANCI list of the most beautiful villages in Italy.