Bibbiena: the most important center of the Casentino

in Casentino, Province of Arezzo, Villages 363 Views

Bibbiena is an important center of the Casentino in the province of Arezzo, is located on a hill 425 meters above sea level at the confluence of the Archiano stream in the Arno river. The area where today stands Bibbiena was populated since Etruscan times, but the foundation of the present town dates back to the Middle Ages.

Bibbiena arose in the Middle Ages as a castle, even if its territory has been inhabited since Etruscan times. Around the eleventh and twelfth century the castle became the residence of the bishops of Arezzo, then was a fief of the Tarlati that enhance its defensive function and finally, around 1360, it became part of the possessions of the Republic of Florence.

AN IMPORTANT ECONOMIC CENTER

Today the territory of Bibbiena has an important economic role through the existence of textile and electromechanical industries, indeed Bibbiena has become the most important economic center of the whole Casentino. The old town retains some interesting buildings such as the Renaissance palace Dovizi of the early sixteenth century, the town hall of the sixteenth century, the Propositura dei Santi Damiano e Ippolito – with frescoes of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries – and the church of San Lorenzo sulla Scala dating from the late fifteenth century which houses pottery of Andrea della Robbia. In the Piazza Tarlati are the remains of the fortress, of which remain only the clock tower and a smaller tower.

Among other thing to visit in Bibbiena there is the Archaeological Museum of Casentino where there are exhibits ranging from prehistory to the high Middle Ages, here you can see the remains of fossils, Etruscan and Roman and medieval artifacts all recovered in the area of Casentino.

A little more than 1 km from Bibbiena is the sanctuary of Santa Maria del Sasso, which is one of the most important Renaissance buildings in Casentino.

Bibbiena

USEFUL INFORMATION

Weekly Market: Thursday Weekly Market in Piazza Resistance every Thursday from 8.00 to 13.30.

Tourist Information Offices – Via delle Monache, 2 Bibbiena Phone 0575 536 943

BIBLIOGRAPHY

AA. VV. “Toscana” Guide Rosse Touring Club Italiano, 2007
Corsi Diletta “Città di Bibbiena. Guida storico architettonica” Pacini Editore, 2013
Rombai Leonardo; Stopani Renato “Il Casentino. Territorio, storia e viaggi” Polistampa, 2012