12 Fun Facts About Tuscany That Perhaps Not Everyone Knows

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Let's discover together 12 curiosities about Tuscany that not everyone knows, in a succession of historical anecdotes and plot twists.

Tuscany is full of curiosities, some of which are record-breaking, that perhaps not everyone knows

Are you looking for curiosities about Tuscany? Get ready because in this article we will tell you 12 of them. We start from the assumption that the world can be divided into a large number of regions, territories and geographical areas. And if it is true that each one is beautiful in its own way, interesting, and has a story to tell, it is also true that some stand out from the others in various aspects. And among these there is the Tuscany. Known everywhere for theincredible concentration of art which contains, for the undisputed natural beauty, and for that slow life which reconciles with oneself and which also attracts many world-class VIPs, perhaps not everyone knows some curiosity which make this splendid land even more unique and fascinating. Here's why We have chosen twelve for you, among the most important and significant.

So follow us to find out 12 curiosities about Tuscany which perhaps not everyone knows.

Florence, capital of the Kingdom of Italy for almost 6 years

There Capital of Italy it has always been RomeSince Italy has been a Republic, yes, since Italy has been united, no. Florence was in fact the capital of the Kingdom of Italy From 1865 to 1871, before the government moved to the Eternal City. But why? Well, the reason is quite complex, but we'll try to summarize it briefly.

The Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed the March 17, 1861, did not yet include Rome and Lazio, that is, what remained of the Papal State, allied and protected by the French, despite the attempt to conquer the city by Garibaldi in 1862. Everyone wanted Rome capital for historical and symbolic reasons, but Rome was not yet Italy on the institutional level. Moreover, the French also looked with suspicion at Turin, where he resided King Victor Emmanuel II, and they agreed to move the government to a more neutral and decentralized city which would have constituted incontrovertible proof of Italy's definitive renunciation of Rome as its capital.

In the end, between Bologna (which was part of the former papal territories), Naples (difficult to defend due to the port), and Florence, the choice fell on the latter, who was certainly not enthusiastic about the idea because she understood that she represented just a stopgap, but that in the end, from February 3, 1865 – day of the installation of the Savoy court at Palazzo Pitti – on February 3, 1871 – after the September 20, 1870 the Bersaglieri had entered Rome through the breach of Porta Pia – will benefit from this new status and a consequent urban expansion and of unprecedented recovery.

Pistoia was (perhaps) the first Italian municipality

In the 12th century Pistoria (present-day Pistoia) became one of the first Italian municipalities, if not the first. His statute dates back to 1117, and it is from this period that the “tantillo”, or the municipal seal depicting a armed knight all dressed up in red and white checkered robes.

Lucca was home to the oldest mint in Europe, and the last Italian execution by guillotine.

We move to Lucca for the third curiosity about Tuscany. The The Lucca Mint is the oldest in Europe: in fact, coins were minted there on behalf of the city since 650, at the time of the Lombards, and remained in operation for 12 centuries, until 1843, minting over two thousand different types of coins.

Today at the San Donato Barracks, on the Walls of Lucca, you can visit the Museum of the Ancient Mint, a path dedicated to the history and numismatics, with vintage machinery, a rich heritage of coins, medals and documents.

And, always in Lucca, thelast Italian guillotine, July 29, 1845.

For further information: Lucca and its majestic walls

The miracle of Brunelleschi's Dome, the largest brick dome in the world

Symbol of the Italian Renaissance and engineering masterpiece of unparalleled level, the Dome of the Florence Cathedral, fruit of the skill of Filippo Brunelleschi, at the time of its construction, over 600 years ago, it was the largest in the world, so much so that it remains even today the largest masonry dome ever built, with a maximum internal diameter of 45.5 meters, exterior of 54.8 meters, and with aheight of 116 meters.

Its structure was like this imposing that it was not possible to use the classic technique of wooden ribs to support her and, since Brunelleschi always refused to provide explanations in this regard, despite the many hypotheses ventured in the following centuries, still today many dark sides persist regarding the method used for what can be defined as a miraculous erection.

Monte dei Paschi di Siena is the first and longest-running bank in the world.

The fifth curiosity about Tuscany concerns a bank. In fact, the Monte dei Paschi di Siena, founded in 1472 is, to date, the oldest and longest-running bank in the world.

The Florentine Fiorino, the first truly "European" currency

In the 13th century the Florentine monetary system was based on the European one, whose silver coinage dated back to Charlemagne. In 1252 it was decided instead to mint your own money, thus was born the “gold florin”, weighing 3.53 grams. Thanks also to thecreditworthiness of the Florentines, the florin established itself not only in Italy but even in Europe as reference currency for all transactions. One of the factors that contributed to making it so solid and reliable was that he could maintain its original weight, who was undergoing a constant monitoring to prevent the edge from being filed down so as to obtain some gold dust (fraudulent practice called "calia”), thus decreasing in value (the so-called decline).

In short, the Florin was from the second half of the 13th century to the end of the 14th century (almost 150 years) comparable to thecurrent euro.

The birth of the Italian Communist Party in Livorno

TO Livorno, In the 1921, was founded on Communist Party of Italy, splitting of the extreme current, driven by Bordiga and Gramsci, of the Socialist Party, which stood on pro-Soviet and revolutionary positions.

Did the legend of King Arthur originate in Tuscany?

THE'eighth curiosity about Tuscany It's possible that the legend of King Arthur may have originated right here, among us. It seems strange, but in fact many clues would suggest so. Let's try to summarize, even if the story is complex.

It all starts on the day of Christmas 1180 when a knight, by name Galgano, arrived on the Montesiepi Hill, to Chiusdino, in the current Siena area, he thrusts his sword into the ground to symbolically transform it into a cross and thus embrace his new spiritual life of renouncing the weapons and flattery of the world. The similarities with Arthurian myth they appear evident, although Arthur pulls the sword from the stone, while Galgano, on the contrary, stops it. In the Montesiepi Roundabout there is in fact a boulder from which a hilt and a piece of a sword emerge corroded by the years and rust, now protected by a display case.

It also happens that in many biographies of San Galgano connections emerge with theHermitage of San Guglielmo di Malavalle, to Castiglione della Pescaia. It seems in fact that Guglielmo and Galgano knew each other and had many affinities: both knights, they decided to to devote oneself to the hermit life abandoning the century.

Now, William, according to a ancient popular tradition, it could actually be William X of Aquitaine, father of Eleonora, at whose court he worked Chrétien de Troyes, author of Le Roman de Perceval or le conte du Graal, in which the first time appears Holy Grail, a key element of the Arthurian cycle.

But why this? Because in reality William X, Duke of Aquitaine, officially died in 1137 during a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela – leaving his daughter Eleonora as heir to his vast dominion – no one ever saw the body. So the question becomes: and if in the end it was him who appeared in Maremma, a few years later, as the results of scientific investigations on the relics of St. William – which make its Nordic origin highly probable – would lead one to believe? If so, then it could have been William of Malavalle, alias William X of Aquitaine, to make known the Legend of the Sword in the Stone to Chrétien de Troyes.

On the other hand the Galgano's beatification process dates back incontestably to 1185, 5 years before Chrétien de Troyes wrote his «Perceval». Furthermore, the name, Galgano, is very similar to Galvano, one of the Knights of the Round Table. And then there are clear connections between the Tuscany of the Merse valley, where the Via Francigena, and the medieval France of Chrétien de Troyes, the great creator of the Breton cycle.

Consequently, some scholars argue that there is a connection between Galgano and King Arthur, but very different from what you might think: the opposite. In other words, the true myth of the sword in the stone would be born concretely in Tuscany at the end of 1100 even if it was set by Chrétien de Troyes in another place several centuries before: the power of fictional fiction.

For further information: San Galgano and the Sword in the Stone

The Vetriano Theatre is the smallest in the world

It is still part of the official list of the Guinness Book of Records the Vetriano Theatre, in Pescaglia, in the province of Lucca, the smallest in the worldNicknamed the wedding favor, total measurement 71 square meters and contains just 85 seatsIt was made in late nineteenth century by the inhabitants of Vetriano using a old barn donated to them by the engineer Virgil Biagini and animated with the shows of the “Village Society”. Later the little theatre fell into disuse and only in 1997 it was donated to the FAI, who restored it.

The Ferriere suspension bridge, the longest in Italy

We are at the tenth curiosity about Tuscany. In the heart of the Pistoia mountains, a very long pedestrian walkway connects the two sides of the Lima stream: the Ferriere suspension bridge in fact develops in 36 meters high on the river connecting with its 227 meters long Mammiano Basso and Popiglio, two typical small mountain villages of the municipality of San Marcello Piteglio. To date it holds the record for longest pedestrian suspension bridge in Italy, While until 2006 it even turned out the longest in the world, later surpassed by the 390 metres of the Japanese Kokonoe Yume.

The Larderello geothermal well, the deepest in the world

Also Larderello, country on Metalliferous Hills famous for the geothermal energy production, can boast its own record. In 1988, in fact, entered the Guinness Book of Records following the drilling of the well called “Rock 22”, which comes to a maximum depth of 4093 metersHere you can visit the Geothermal Museum, a fascinating multimedia exhibition path dedicated to the history of the area and its energy resources.

Tuscany, the first country in the world to abolish the death penalty and torture

Finally we close our 12 curiosities about Tuscany with an unbeatable record that makes us particularly proud, given its fundamental meaning of universal significance: the November 30, 1786, by decision of the then Grand Duke Peter Leopold, Tuscany was the first country in the world to abolish the death penalty and torture. It represented, for the time, a innovative and revolutionary choice which is remembered every year with the Tuscany Festival.

For further information: History of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany: the era of the Lorraines

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Cover photo Vincenzo Marotta on UnsplashReproduction Reserved ©Copyright TuscanyPeople

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About The Author

Vieri Tommasi Candidi

Writer, Ambassador of Tuscany