Castelfalfi
| Castelfalfi | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|||
| Castello di Castelfalfi | |||
| Country | Italy | ||
| region | Tuscany | ||
| Metropolitan city | Florence (FI) | ||
| local community | Montaione | ||
| Coordinates | 43 ° 33 ' N , 10 ° 51' E | ||
| height | 272 m slm | ||
| surface | 0.11 km² | ||
| Residents | 18 (2001) | ||
| Population density | 2 inhabitants / km² | ||
| Telephone code | 0571 | CAP | 50050 |
Castelfalfi is an Italian village that belongs to the municipality of Montaione in the metropolitan city of Florence .
history
Name story
Castelfalfi is a medieval village ( Borgo ). A document from the year 754 shows that the original name Castellum Faolfi or Farolfi is of Lombard origin.
Early history
The first settlers - as far as can be proven - were the Etruscans , who also inhabited the area around Castelfalfi around 2500 years ago.
Little is known about Castelfalfi from Roman times and the early Middle Ages. However, historians agree that the area was very sparsely populated. The “ barbarians ” seem to have been the only ones who settled in this area. Later the Longobard Walfredo, son of Ratgleichen and ancestor of the noble family Della Gherardesca , settled here when he received the village from the Monteverdi Abbey . In 1139 his descendant Ranieri Della Gherardesca sold his share of the Castello for 100 lire to the Bishop of Volterra .
13th to 15th centuries
Florence gained more and more influence. In 1230 Castelfalfi and the surrounding villages were subordinated to San Miniato , which in turn was under Florentine rule. Even when local noble families rebelled against this supremacy, Castelfalfi flourished under Florentine rule. The rebellious families were punished and parts of the Borgo were confiscated. In 1370 Castelfalfi was directly subordinated to Florence. A well-known personality from this period is Bertino da Castelfalfi . The generous farmer helped the poor in the war between Florence and the Count of Virtú.
16th to 18th century
During the war between Florence and Siena in 1554, Castelfalfi was sacked and largely destroyed. With the subsequent reconstruction, large parts of the village became the property of the Biondi family , who financed the village renovation. After the land reform of the Grand Duke of Florence in 1774, Castelfalfi was reunited into one municipality under the administration of Montaione. During this heyday, the population rose to 476. Since the Biondi family was the wealthiest family on the estate, the ownership and management of Castelfalfi passed to them.
The great rural exodus in the 20th century
At the beginning of the 20th century a tobacco factory was built in the Borgo and in connection with this, the streets around the village were also expanded. After long years of deprivation in the 1950s, the post-war period finally brought an economic boom to Italy. However, these developments in remote villages like Castelfalfi led to migration to the up-and-coming industrial zones in northern Italy. The 1950s and 60s were mainly dominated by rural exodus. Castelfalfi was almost completely depopulated.
The deserted village in the middle of the wide hills of Tuscany was the scene of the 2002 Pinocchio film adaptation by Roberto Benignis .
Reclaiming the village
After decades of management by the Biondi family, Castelfalfi was bought in 1965 by the Benelli drapery family from Prato . After they went bankrupt, they sold Castelfalfi to Milanese entrepreneurs in 1980. After three years of negotiations with the Tuscan authorities, they were given permission for an ambitious project aimed at revitalizing agriculture in the area and promoting tourism. Half of the existing houses were converted into tourist apartments. A restaurant in the Castello, a swimming pool, an 18-hole golf course and tennis courts were created. Due to a lack of financial resources, the restructuring was only half implemented. The financial institution that financed the construction project had to file for bankruptcy. After the failure of the ambitious project, Castelfalfi became the property of the municipality again, which shortly thereafter released it for sale. There were many interested parties - including Silvio Berlusconi and Sarah Ferguson , without a contract being signed initially.
After the village only had about five inhabitants, TUI AG acquired it in 2007 to make it the largest tourism project in Italy. A luxurious village complex is to be built there under the name Tenuta di Castelfalfi , while preserving the historical building fabric. The project, in which around 160 million euros had been invested by then, should be completed in 2013. However, the marketing did not go as planned, so that the project was initially stretched and should now be completed around 2018.
Attractions
- San Floriano , church built around the year 1000. Was rebuilt in 1511 and had a loggia in front of the facade from 1845 to 1920 . The church was renovated in 1920 and 2014.
- In the 1970s, the skeleton of a whale was excavated on an estate , the age of which is estimated to be 3.5 million years. It is exhibited in the Museo Comunale di Montaione .
literature
- Emanuele Repetti: CASTEL FALFI (Castrum Faolfi) in Val d'Era. In Dizionario Geografico Fisico Storico della Toscana (1833–1846), online edition of the University of Siena (pdf, ital.)
Web links
- Official website of Toscana Resort Castelfalfi
- TUI builds holiday village for the rich. In: Der Spiegel, June 7, 2011
- Legambiente Toscana appeal for the protection of Castelfalfi
Individual evidence
- ↑ Enrico Ippolito: Tuscany itself - taz, from February 23, 2013
- ^ Rino Salvestrini: Storia di Castelfalfi. 2001, p. 40.
- ↑ The Sold Village. In: Die ZEIT. June 7, 2007.
- ↑ A whole Tuscany village for German vacationers. In: The world. 5th December 2011.
- ↑ Dinah Deckstein: Hangover mood in Castel Fiffi . In: Der Spiegel 44/2013 p. 77f.
- ↑ Chiese italiane: Chiesa di San Floriano <Castelfalfi, Montaione> , accessed on August 4, 2018 (Italian)
- ^ Museum site (accessed May 27, 2018)