The name of the village in an ancient eve was written: Monte a Follonica and Fullones were the people who treated the tissues; it is clear that Monte a Fullonico means “tissue workers place”.
Thus Fulling (the process by which the tissue passes under the weight of hard hammers moved by a water mill) seems to be the phase of working of tissue.
The activity of treatment of tissue is thought to happen down to the plain closet o the Benedetine Abbey of “Santa Maria de Folonico”. Close to the Abbey there flows the Salarco flood whose water was the engine for the tissue treatment.
The village burgh developed about in 12th/13th century, replacing the surrounding places of a more ancient origin: the village of Orsina, the Church of San Valentino, the village of Oppiano and the village Feroniano, nowadays called Frignano farm.
The first historical document that tells us about Montefollonico is dated of 1202 when the village was ensured by Senese people about the sending of troups to defend the village against Poliziano people (from Montepulciano).
In the previous centuries before the year 1000 the land of MOntefollonico belonged to the family of Ardinughi and they themselves were to choose that high place and well defendable to build a palace there and the houses for servants and artisans.
The monks of the Abbey had a curtis in Frignano: thus among them and the powerful lords Ardinughis a power came to be created to recruit more and more people to work in the Curtis that got proportionally wider and wider.
Every dependent received indications about work to develop and as a payment it received part of the products of the land.
Those who wished the independence had to pay fees and deliver part of their product for the use of the mill, of the oil mill and of the oven of Curtis.
There where existed a “Fullonica” House before the year 1000, then a castle was born there and was called Monte a Follonica. Since the April 1229 many hard and long struggles began against Poliziano and Orvietano people and Senese and Orvietano People used to make war often by tremendous arms (very hot Oil, Colophony and Pitch) beneath the walls of the MOntefollonico Fortress. The actual set of walls is supposed to be dated of 1300.
The tondo
The visitor who reaches Montefollonico cannot but notice a small set of cypress trees laying in a full circle, above a nice hill with a landscape over Pienza, at about 600 mt of altitude. Their perfect geometrical placement, at the top of a wood, leaves the visitor a moment of strange admiration. Around there it lays a precious broad-leaved wood, with more oak trees than other species.
How to get there
