Inhabitants in 1991: 2.782
Scarlino municipality extends for 88,38 square kilometres in a coastal
hilly zone of the north western Maremma. Formed in modern times, together
with Buriano (present day district of Castiglione della Pescaia) and the
territory of Follonica, a community in the Principality of Piombino.
In 1833 its territory was aggregated to the community of Gavorrano. From
1960 it again formed an autonomous municipality.
The first historic mention of the locality figures in a document from
973 with which the Marquis Lamberto, son of Ildebrando degli Aldobrandeschi,
transferred among other things the court of Scarlino. At the beginning
of the XII century other documents attest that Scarlino had become an
important castle, assuming a complex institutional position ceded in part
by the Countess Matilde di Toscan to a noble Ranieri, it was, because
of this donated in 1108, by testamentary act, to the Bishop of Roselle.
In 1162 it had already gravitated into the political orbit of Pisa, but
by a privilege of Emperor Federico I it appears that two years later,
in 1164, the Counts Alberti di Mangona acquired the rights over the castle,
and between 1209 and 1231 the name of Scarlino recurred several times
in the events of succession and patrimonial division of this family of
Counts. In 1233 it was acquired, together with other castles in the
area, by the Aldobrandeschi. In the middle of the century Scarllino
became involved in the contrasts between Guglielmo Aldobrandeschi and
the municipality of Siena, until in 1278 it was sold by the son of Guglielmo
Ildebrandino, called the Red, to Pisa. It remained under the dominion
of Pisa (even though the Santa Fiora branch of the Aldobrandeschi continued
to claim rights) until the constitution of the Piombino Lordship of the
Appiani. The little coastal state followed the subsequent fate: Principality
institution in 1594, passed to Ludovisi in 1634, to the Buoncompagni in
1706,.and lastly to the sister of Napeleon Elisa Baciocchi. In 1815
with the Vienna Congress, it was incorporated in the Grand Duchy of Toscana.
The Grand Duke Leopoldo II di Lorena put into action, in 1830, the
land claim work drain off the “marshes” of Scarlino and
in 1841 Salvagnoli Marchetti, medical inspector of the province of Grosseto,
was able to write: “...diminished the lakes of Scarlino and Piombino,
the greatest and most noxious centre of infection....” During the
resistance the partisan formation “gruppo Tirli” operated
in the area, which on 19 July 1944 occupied the town.
|Places to visit:
Palazzo Comunale, a 1200 establishment,
it is overlooked by a 1600 tower.
The Fortress, of which
remain imposing ruins, together with the wall which is also partially
Historical info reproduced upon authorization of Regione Toscana - Dipartimento della Presidenza E Affari Legislativi e Giuridici
Translated by Ann Mountford