Capalbio

Capalbio is a municipality  in the Province of Grosseto located about 150 km south of  Florence  and about 45 km southeast of Grosseto. Capalbio borders the following municipalities: Manciano, Montalto di Castro and Orbetello.

The views from Capalbio embrace the entire Maremma, and descending down to the plains, one surprisingly finds the crystal blue waters of the sea

During the Middle Ages, it belonged to the Aldobrandeschi family, then the Orsini Counts, and in 1416, it was annexed to the Sienese Republic. The town lost its autonomy under the Lorraine, suffering inevitable social disintegration as a result. This led to the onset of the banditry, which plagued the Maremma for a great number of years.

Capalbio enjoys a rather special kind of tourism, attracting many, thanks to the medieval character of the narrow streets, the ancient castle overlooking the valley below, and the beautiful beaches of Chiarone, Macchiatonda and la Torba. The prestige of the town is further increased by the “Capalbio Cinema” short film festival held every year during the first fifteen days of July. This festival draws important national and international figures.

At present Capalbio is one of the favourite holiday destinations for a number of sophisticated and demanding tourists, VIPs, show business and movie stars, who can appreciate arts, nature and taste the essence of a safeguarded area.

The town is completely enclosed within a double set of Sienese walls, along which extensive stretches of the suggestive patrol bays can still be walked. Capalbio has a medieval town plan, with narrow, curved streets climbing to the top of the hill dominated by the Rocca Aldobrandesca. The double-bay Porta Senese, which is crowned by a tower, is the gateway to the historic centre.

A marble inscription on the gate commemorates the 1416 restoration of the walls by the Sienese. The road continues past the so-called Arco Santo (Holy Arch), capped by a marble bust of the Emperor Hadrian, and climbs to the Church of St. Nicholas, perhaps dating to the 12th century, standing at the foot of the Rocca. The simple facade has an ogival portal topped by an inscription commemorating the enlargement and restoration of the church in 1466.

The interior is a single-bay structure with a rectangular apse and side chapels. The Romanesque capitals with animal and plant motifs and several frescoes of the 15th and 16th century Umbrian school are quite interesting.

Over the centuries Capalbio's Rocca has undergone continuous modifications which have gradually transformed it into a patrician residence.  A square tower with an inclined base rises directly in front of the Church of St. Nicholas.

Outside the walls is the small  Oratory of Providence, it is Renaissance in type and was heavily restored in the 19th century. Inside the oratory is an admirable fresco that has been attributed to a painter close to the circle of Pinturicchio representing the Madonna With Child Between Sts. Jerome and Sigismund.

Website: www.comune.capalbio.gr.it