Sovicille
| Sovicille | ||
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| Comune | ||
| Comune di Sovicille | ||
Ponte della Pia.
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 Sovicille
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| Coordinates: 43°17′N 11°14′E / 43.283°N 11.233°ECoordinates: 43°17′N 11°14′E / 43.283°N 11.233°E | ||
| Country | Italy | |
| Region | Tuscany | |
| Province / Metropolitan city | Siena (SI) | |
| Frazioni | Rosia, San Rocco a Pilli, Stigliano, Torri, Volte Basse | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 143.7 km2 (55.5 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 265 m (869 ft) | |
| Population (Dec. 2004) | ||
| • Total | 8,800 | |
| • Density | 61/km2 (160/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| Postal code | 53018 | |
| Dialing code | 0577 | |
| Website | www |
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Sovicille is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 60 kilometres (37 mi) south of Florence and about 10 kilometres (6 mi) southwest of Siena.
Sovicille borders the comuni of Casole d'Elsa, Chiusdino, Monteriggioni, Monteroni d'Arbia, Monticiano, Murlo, Siena.
The name Sovicille is documented as far back as 1004, but the origins of the place probably go back much further. (In 2002 a mosaic from the Roman period was uncovered in the Church of St John the Baptist, and there is no shortage of Etruscan relics in the immediate area.)
During the Middle Ages the region found itself on the borders between Siena and Volterra: The Abbey of Serena, some 30 kilometers to the west, was under the control of Volterra, and the land around Sovicille was included as property of the abbey around the year 1000.
A written record of the place survives from 23 April 1123, in which the (by origin Senese) Pope Alexander III identifies it as Sufficille. The name is thought to derive from the Latin words "sub" (under) and "ficinulae/ficus" (small fig tree").
The municipal statutes date right back to the thirteenth century. In the thirteenth century the by now democratically administered Republic of Siena allowed several municipalities, including Sovicille, their own municipal statutes in 1238 (modified in 1293 and then reconfigured, to the format that survives today, in 1303), which included the right to make their own laws.
In 1260 Sovicille was occupied by Florence, but in that year the Florentine armies were defeated at the Battle of Montaperti, whereupon Sovicille reverted to Siena.
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Wikipedia