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MontaioneAccording to some archaeological finds dated back at Etruscan-Roman epochs, the charming village of Montaione has been inhabited from very ancient times. At a few metres from the old town centre you can indeed admire remains of a Roman cistern dated at the II century A.C., as well as some finds of Etruscan china in the area of Santo Stefano. Even the Church of San Biagio, at 500 metres from the village, shows that Montaione was already inhabited in early Christian times, even though some more detailed news about it started from the Middle Ages. As many others Tuscan towns, Montaione's name comes from an “evolution”: it probably derives from the Longobard “Allone di Lucca”, later become "Mons Allonis", then corrected as "Montacone", as written in a document of 988. In 1118 at a distance of 2 Km from the centre of the town, it was built the “Pieve di San Regolo”: notable example of Romanesque architecture in Tuscany, which nevertheless not correspond to the historical church nowadays located at the very centre of Montaione. Once become commune in 1257, Montaione was involved in the battles among Gimignano, Volterra and San Miniato: battles that deeply marked the Middle Ages in Tuscany. During that period, the Castle of Montaione was ringed by sturdy walls and framed by 11 imposing towers. The urban district, crossed lengthwise by three streets (like every typical Roman camp), enclosed the Church of San Bartolomeo (today dedicated to San Regolo) and Palazzo Pretorio. In the XIII century, in both Montaione and the near Gambassi, the locals specialized in making glassworks. Thanks to their workmanship, the craftsmen of Montaione got very well-known and popular all around Tuscany, insomuch as in 1700, a proclamation of the Grand Duke of Tuscany ordered the master glassmakers to teach this art to fellow countrymen only. Montaione is provided with a rich network of trekking paths (some of them practicable even by bike) the crosses the territory. The routes are organized along 6 itineraries, planned in order to discover the countryside, exploiting the different areas, woods and slopes, that until a few years ago were frequented only by hunters and mushroom seekers. Some musts among the myriad of events and festivals in Montaione:
Other towns in the area: Arezzo, Asciano, Badia a Ruoti, Badia Agnano, Bagni di Lucca, Barberino Val d'Elsa, Bucine, Campo nell'Elba, Camucia di Cortona, Carrara, Casciana Terme, Casole d'Elsa, Castelfiorentino, Castellina in Chianti, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Castiglion Fiorentino, Castiglioncello, Certaldo, Cetona, Chianciano Terme, Chiusi, Civitella della Chiana, Colle di Val d'Elsa, Cortona, Empoli, Fabbrica di Peccioli, Figline Valdarno, Florence, Foiano della Chiana, Forte dei Marmi, Gaiole in Chianti, Gambassi Terme, Ghizzano, Grassina, Greve in Chianti, Grosseto, Iesa Palazzo, Impruneta, Lamporecchio, Laterina , Livorno, Loro Ciuffenna, Lucca, Lucignano, Marciano della Chiana, Marina di Grosseto, Empoli, Masotti, Massa, Moggiona, Molazzana, Monsummano Terme, Montalcino, Monte San Savino, Montecatini-Terme, Montefollonico, Montelopio, Montepulciano, Monterchi, Monteriggioni, Montevarchi, Montisi, Nievole, Panzano in Chianti, Pian di Sco', Pienza, Pietrasanta, Pieve Fosciana, Pisa, Pistoia, Pitigliano, Poggibonsi, Pontassieve, Poppi, Porciano di Lamporecchio, Porciano di Stia, Pozzo della Chiana, Prato, Radda in Chianti, Radicofani, Rapolano Terme, Reggello, Rignano sull'Arno, Rigomagno, Riparbella, Rosignano Solvay, San Baronto, San Casciano dei Bagni, San Casciano in Val di Pesa, San Gimignano, San Giuliano Terme, San Miniato, San Quirico d'Orcia, Sarteano, Saturnia, Scandicci, Segromigno in Monte, Seravezza, Serre di Rapolano, Sieci, Siena, Sinalunga, Sorano, Staggia Senese, Subbiano, Tirrenia, Torre del Lago Puccini, Torrita di Siena, Trequanda, Vagliagli, Viareggio, Vinci, VolterraYou might also be interested in reading about the following Montaione topics:
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