Civitella in Val di Chiana
The history Since the Etruscan-Roman site to Civitella del Vescovo to Civitella in Val di Chiana.
Civitella is a nice and small medieval village but built up on a previously existent site dated of Etruscan-Roman period proved even by the remainings of a cinerary urn with an etruscan writing by Viciomaggio or the sepulchral stone found in the church of San Pietro in Ciggiano. Later, some of the places like Gaenne or the Civitella Castle will become longobardian fortresses with the peculiarity of raising upon very high hills and able to control wide areas. Between the 9th and the 11th century the whole area spent a period of fundamental development, linked to the spreading of parish churches, monastries, abbeys and hospitals, raised along the Roman ways and the new medieval ways. Starting from that period the Castle of “Civitella's feud” begins to give more and more pieces of information and after the year 1000 passed under the power of Arezzo Bishop. The Castle was named “Civitella del Vescovo” (Bishop's village) as per its belonging to Arezzo Bishops who made it the headtown of their viscounty in Val d'Ambra (Ambra River valley). Among the well known inhabitants in Civitella there is the Ghibellino bishop Guglielmo degli Ubertini (named as young as 29years old). In the near Pieve al Toppo village (nowadays it is a part of Civitella's jurisdiction) was battled one of the famous fights between Guelphs and Ghibellini in 1288. The following year the Ghibellini were defeated at last by the Guelphs in the battle of Campaldino (Poppi, AR, 11th of june 1289). In the 13th century Civitella suffered the first destruction and was built up again in 1272 as per Guglielmino degli Ubertini's order and after Campaldino Civitella was occupied by florentine army. The Merchant road In the Leopold eve, this way was used as a secondary way to carry grain from farms in Valdichiana to Valdarno passing by Valdambra, but the tracking existed eversince the Middle Age. It passed through some places known for their markets and fairs like Caggiolo, Mercatale, Selvapiana and Levane. The path started maybe by the Fontarronco Farm, passed through Spoiano, passed along the Leprone channel and reached eventually Caggiolo and Palazzina and then to Mercatale pass. As it left the actual land of Civitella it ran along the Trove river along Valdambra to reach Levane at an end. There is not agreement among scientists about the Roman origin of that road. The nazi-fascist period The 29th of june 1944, during the Second World War the inhabitants of Civitella, Cornia and San Pancrazio suffered a terrible slaughter by the german armies of Herman Göering's division. The victims were 115 in Civitella, 58 in Cornia and 71 in San Pancrazio. For that happening in 1963 the Civitella in Val di Chiana Commune was given a golden medal for civil value.