Guardistallo

Guardistallo
Country	Italy
region	Tuscany
province	Pisa  (PI)
Coordinates	43 ° 19 '  N , 10 ° 38'  E Coordinates: 43 ° 18 '49 "  N , 10 ° 38' 0"  E
height	278  m slm
surface	23.81 km²
Residents	1,216 (Dec. 31, 2019)
Population density	51 inhabitants / km²
Post Code	56040
prefix	0586
ISTAT number	050015
Popular name	Guardistallini
Patron saint	San Lorenzo
Website	www.comune.guardistallo.pi.it
Panorama of Guardistallo

Guardistallo is a municipality with 1216 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2019) in the province of Pisa in the Italian region of Tuscany .

geography

The small town is halfway between the municipalities of Montescudaio and Casale Marittimo, each approx. 3 km away, in the hilly hinterland of the northern Maremma ( Maremma Pisana ). The place is approx. 12 km away from the Mediterranean coast near the coastal town of Cecina . To the east, the municipality borders on the river Cecina , there is the district ( frazione ) Casino di Terra. Other neighboring municipalities of Guardistallo are Bibbona and Montecatini Val di Cecina .

history

Guardistallo has its origins in a medieval castle that was built by the Lombards around the 7th century . The name is mentioned for the first time in 1144 and goes back to Germanic roots. In the 11th century the castle belonged to the Counts Della Gherardesca , who donated it to the Bishop of Volterra in 1154 . After years under Pisan rule, Guardistallo came to Florence in 1406 . In 1447 Guardistallo, like several other castles in the Cecina Valley, was destroyed by the troops of King Alfonso I of Naples. From 1739 Guardistallo belonged to a fiefdom administered by the Marchese Carlo Ginori . His family owned the place until 1776.

On August 14, 1846, the place was largely destroyed in an earthquake, including the remaining parts of the medieval castle and the village church. On June 29, 1944, 11 partisans and 46 civilians were killed by the Wehrmacht in a massacre in Guardistallo .

economy

The area of ​​the municipality is characterized by forest areas. The main products are olive oil and wine ( Montescudaio DOC wine region ), and the place is also a popular tourist destination in the summer months.

traffic

Casino di Terra has a stop on the Cecina – Volterra railway, which opened in 1863 .

Culture and sights

The center of Guardistallo is the Piazza del Plebiscito . The Chiesa dei Santi Lorenzo e Agata is located on the side of the village facing the sea . The church was built around 1870 to replace the previous building that was destroyed in the earthquake in 1846. It is consecrated to the local patrons Laurentius and Agatha . Another church is the Chiesa della Madonna del Carmine , which was built around 1770 and expanded in the 19th century.

The small town theater Teatro Marchionneschi with 200 seats was inaugurated in 1883. In the 20th century it served as a cinema and was closed for a long time. After a restoration in the 1990s, it is now back to its original purpose.

A few kilometers in the direction of Cecina is the monastery of the Trappist women, Monastero di Nostra Signora di Valserena, built in 1968 .

Regular events

• Sagra della Crogiantina e delle Fritelle - Gastronomic event in March
• Sagra del Cacciucco - Festival in July
• Festa di San Lorenzo - Feast of the local patron on August 10th
• Sagra della polenta - festival on the second Sunday of October
• Memorial procession - Every year on June 29, the victims of the massacre committed by the Wehrmacht are commemorated in a procession.

literature

• Emanuele Repetti: GUARDISTALLO, gia Gualdistallo, nella Maremma della Cecina. In Dizionario Geografico Fisico Storico della Toscana (1833–1846), online edition of the University of Siena (pdf, ital.)

Web links

Commons : Guardistallo  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• History of Guardistallo (Italian)
• Website of the Trappist convent Valserena

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Statistiche demografiche ISTAT. Monthly population statistics of the Istituto Nazionale di Statistica , as of December 31 of 2019.