Arcidosso is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Grosseto in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 100 km south of Florence and about 35 km northeast of Grosseto and near the town of Montalcino.

As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 4,173 and an area of 93.3 km². Arcidosso rises at 679 meters above sea level on the western slopes of Monte Amiata between Siena and Grosseto. The municipality of Arcidosso contains the frazioni (subdivisions, mainly villages and hamlets) Bagnoli, Macchie, Montelaterone, Salaiola, San Lorenzo, Stribugliano, and Zancona. Arcidosso borders the following municipalities: Campagnatico, Castel del Piano, Cinigiano, Roccalbegna, Santa Fiora.

Arcidosso has an official website.

From Arcidosso it is about 30 minutes

by car to arrive at a skiing-station.

In about 45 minutes you can reach the

coastline near Grosseto.

History

The first certain documentation of the

existance of the settlement of Arcidosso is

from the year 860 where it is said to

belong to the Abbey of San Salvatore. In

1331, Guidoriccio da Fogliano, seiged it for

four months using an army of 4000 soldiers and 400 horsemen, achieving its surrender. After the fall of the Senese Republic, in 1556 it passed under the Medici rule. Cosimo I established many outlying offices here, making it become an important center. Following the Reformation Leopoldina of 1786, the redistributed the state and ecclesiastic lands, Arcidosso passed under the rule of the Lorena. This generated a conspicuous demographic increment and the number of its citizens quadrupled in about 100 years. Arcidosso therefore became historically the most important political and administrative center of Monte Amiata.

The castle of Arcidosso

The construction of the first nucleus of the castle, around which the town will develop, is from about the year 1000. From the 12th to the 14th century it was a stronghold of the Aldobrandeschi counts and became an important military fortress, bulwark against invasion by Siena in the Amiata territory. The north side of the complex is characterized by the presence of a tower that rises beyond the roof of the highest building in the compound. The top of the tower is crowned by a series of blind arches resting on shelves, the make up the base of the battlements below. The fortress, recently restored, is used today as a space for cultural activities. From the top of the tower there is a splendid panorama of Mount Amiata.

The historic center of Arcidosso, one of the most striking of Amiata, develops in a long pyramid shape along the plateau dominated by the Aldobrandesca Fortress. Only three gates of the original medieval walls remain, of which two are original – the Porta di Castello and the Porta Talassese towards the sea. From here, going down towards Codaccio, one finds the Porta dell’Orologio, built in 1851 to replace the Porta di Mezzo.

Arcidosso has its own website.