Grosseto
Grosseto is a town in the central Italian region of Tuscany. It is the capital of the Province of Grosseto. The city is 12km from the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is located in the Maremma near the Ombrone river. Grosseto has a population of 80,742 people. It is a small city but the province is the largest of the Tuscany. It`s very comfortable because there is the sea near it.
History
Grosseto was one of the main Etruscan cities. The city was under the control of the Aldobrandeschi family. In 1137, the city was captured by German soldiers under the control of Duke Henry X of Bavaria. In 1151, the people of Grosseto agreed to be under the control of Siena. In 1222, the city returned to the Aldobrandeschi. When Siena captured the lands of the Aldobrandeschi in 1244, Grosseto was under their control again. The city tried to free itself in 1266 and 1355 but failed.
Sienese control of the Grosseto lasted until 1559 when Charles V gave control of the city to the Medici. It then became part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.
Important sites
- The Medicean Walls: Built by Francesco I de Medici in 1547. These walls replaced earlier walls built in the 12th through 14th century.
- The Cathedral: A Romanesque cathedral. It is the main monument of the city. The Cathedral was built between the end of the 13th century and the 15th century. Construction was slow because of the fighting with Siena.
- Palazzo Aldobrandeschi: Built in the Middle Ages, this Neo-Gothic building is the home to the government of the Province of Grosseto.
- Granducal villa of Alberese: Built by the Knights Hospitaller in the 15th century. It was later used as the home of the Grand Dukes of Tuscany.
- Abbey of San Rabano: The ruins of this Abbey are located in the Parco Nazionale della Maremma. It originally belonged to the Benedictines, but was later a possession of the Knights Hospitaller.
- Church of San Francesco
- Church of San Pietro, the most ancient in Grosseto.
- Medieval buildings in Batignano, Istia d'Ombrone and Montepescali.
- Ruins of the Abbey of San Pancrazio al Fango
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