Poggibonsi is a town in the province of Siena, Tuscany, central Italy. It is located on the river Elsa and is the main centre of the Valdelsa Valley.
History
The area around Poggibonsi was already settled in the Neolithic age, although the first traces of civilisation dates from Etruscan-Roman age, attested by a series of necropolises and by placenames such as "Talciona" or "Marturi" (from the Etruscan name of Mars).
The importance of the area dates from the 10th century, thanks to its position across the Via Francigena, the main road from Rome to France. At that time, the development of Borgo di Marte (later Marturi, Borgo Vecchio and then Poggibonsi) was started, a settlement whose origins are debated. Around 1010, Borgo di Camaldo appeared. In 1155 or 1156, the inhabitants of these and other nearby towns were moved by Guido Guerra, of the Guidi Counts, to a hill where a new settlement, Poggiobonizio, was established. In the 12th century, the Cathars had a major theological school in Poggibonsi. Declared an Imperial City by emperor Frederick II, according to Giovanni Villani it was one of the most beautiful cities in Italy. Poggiobonizio, which adhered to the Ghibellines, was destroyed by the Florentine Guelphs in 1270. After 1293, Poggibonsi remained under Florentine rule. Emperor Henry VII ordered reconstruction in 1313 as Monte Imperiale, but the work did not survive him. In 1484, Lorenzo de' Medici had a new settlement built in Poggiobonizio according to the Renaissance idea of the "Ideal City", protected by a fortress designed by Antonio and Giuliano da Sangallo. Work, however, was halted in 1510.
After a short period under the French in the early 19th century, it became part of a united Italy in 1861. In the 20th century, the economy was based on the trade in Chianti wine and active industrialisation. Poggibonsi is the smallest of the Chianti Classico sub-regions.
Main sights
The Palazzo Pretorio (late 13th century), with the annexed Torre del Podestà was the seat of the local government until the construction of the Palazzo Comunale in the 19th century. The lower floor, with the loggia, is travertine, while the upper section is brick and travertine. Since 1997, it has housed a palaeontological museum. The Church of San Lorenzo, built by the Augustinian order in Gothic-Romanesque style. In 1495, it was the seat of the meeting between Charles VIII of France and Girolamo Savonarola. The interior houses a painting by Neri di Bicci of St. Nicholas, a 14th-century wooden crucifix by Giovanni d'Agostino and a painting of the Madonna delle Grazie. Santuario del Romituzzo: 15th-century oratory-sanctuary with campanile and portico housing a venerated image of the Madonna della Neve (Madonna of the Snows). The second story is rich with ex voto offerings.
In the neighbourhood are: