You are here: Home > Discover Montaione > Localities > Iano

Iano

313 mt s.l.m.

Located in the southern part of the territory of Montaione, the location Iano can be reached by following the road that goes from Montaione to San Vivaldo and than towards Villamagna.

The hills around Iano are dated back from the Pliocene, while the hill between Iano and Palagio is one of the three islands of Tuscany emerged in the Carboniferous period together with the Mount Serra on the Elba island. For this reason can be found in the surrounding many fossils and minerals.

The origins of Iano date back to the Etruscan period, as evidenced by a finding of a funeral stone representing a warrior and dating from the fifth century b.C.

Even if there are no traces of Romans, in the surroundings there were the castles of Camporena and La Pietra of which remain today only a few ruins.
The Church of St. Andrea in Alliano, which lies in the heart of the village, is mentioned for the first time in 1004, when Ildebrando Aldobrandeschi the bishop refused to Volterra. In 1321 the village of Iano was subjected to San Miniato like many other medieval hamlets of Tuscany, than in 1370 became under the jurisdiction of Florence.

Iano is located near a huge wooded area between the Valdelsa and Valdera, which in medieval times was more extensive than it appears today, called Selva di Camporena.

The wood of this area represented a reserve of material for the glass furnaces of Montaione and Gambassi - was the period when it was developing the art of glass that later spread throughout Tuscany - and for the population, causing numerous disputes with neighbouring communities that protracted until the sixteenth century.

Iano and Camporena went subjected to the town of Montaione finally in 1833, following some territorial adjustments with the municipalities of Volterra and San Miniato.

Iano, which includes localities of Torri, Forni, Casicello and Palagio, after an agricultural crisis, became famous after the Second World War with the extraction of some rocks and minerals as the travertine, serpentine, onyx and Mercury.

The mining activities had a strong development thanks to the overall craftsmanship and precious stones and semi-precious until the crisis of the 80s caused by the high costs of extraction.

Currently remained in Montaione only a craftsman who works semiprecious stones, which creates unique items that from Tuscany are exported throughout the world.
The small village still retains the old narrow streets and houses in brick and travertine stone which is rich in the area.

For those who have the pleasure of spending an holiday in Tuscany, is worth visiting the Santuario della Pietrina from which you can enjoy a breathtaking landscape that sweeps from Volterra to Pisa and from which, when the days are clear, you can see the sea.

There is still part of "The Palazzaccio", once a monastery of nuns and now transformed into residences for tourism as many of the other houses in the area. The village of Iano now has a restaurant and a mini market.

Watch more videos on Montaione on:
www.visitmontaione.tv

Discover the latest news on Montaione:
Go to Blog VisitMontaione.com

Do not miss these amazing thing to see or visit in Montaione during your next holidays in Tuscany!