Monte San Savino stands on the western side of the Valdichiana Aretina, opposite Cortona and perched on a mountain overlooking the Esse valley. It’s a deeply historic village where various traces of the Etruscan civilization have been found.
Over the centuries, the town’s fate was inextricably linked with the clashes between the Guelphs and Ghibellines. The latter had the upper hand, bringing the town under Ubertini (a noble family from Arezzo) rule until 1306 when the town fell under Florentine and Guelph jurisdiction. In 1337, Monte San Savino was ruled by Perugia and then Siena, and in 1384 fell back under Florentine dominion, which sent a Podestà and vicars in order to manage justice in the town.
Monte San Savino reached the height of its splendor between the second half of the 1400s and 1500s, when the noble branch of the Ciocchi-Di Monte family blossomed here. The family was originally from Florence and its members included illustrious figures such as the cardinal Antonio, one of the most influential Renaissance cardinals, who was dear to Julius II and close to the Medici popes.
