Barberino di Mugello

Barberino di Mugello occupies the western part of the Mugello valley. The main river that flows through the valley is the Sieve, which originates in the municipal territory in the area of Montecuccoli (Caposieve). The natural characteristics have favored human presence since prehistoric times. Recent excavations for the Bilancino reservoir have brought to light traces of a seasonal hunters' camp dating back to about 30,000 years ago. According to tradition, the Ligurian tribe of the Magelli was the first to inhabit the area, but it is believed that other peoples were already permanently residing in the area before the Etruscan invasion. In Barberino, the memory of an ancient Roman road remains, originally Etruscan, which passed through this territory and stopped at Vigesimo at the twentieth milestone (ad vigesimum lapidem) that the Romans had placed on the road that led from Florence to Fiesole and continued to Emilia-Romagna through the Croci di Combiate, where there are traces of the presence of the Roman people: fragments of vases, remains of walls. It is known that on the right bank of the Stura stream there was the village of Vigesimo, which is the origin of the village of Barberino. The village of Vigesimo coincides with the place where the homonymous Abbey of Santa Maria a Vigesimo is also located, which, in the 2000s, underwent a significant restoration intervention that also changed its function from religious to residential. This abbey was indeed founded by St. Giovanni Gualberto in the 11th century as a hospice for travelers passing through towards the Futa Pass. Inside the complex, there was a cloister with the remarkable well, an example of abbey architecture of which today, after the aforementioned intervention, there is no longer any memory. The center of Barberino di Mugello was born in the Middle Ages with the construction of the Futa road, soon becoming an important economic hub. The name derives from the coat of arms of the Cattani di Combiate family, depicting a man with three beards, to whom the construction of the Barberino Castle in the 11th century is attributed. The period of greatest splendor was under Medici rule in the 16th century. A site of great interest is Lake Bilancino, an artificial basin created to regulate the floods of the Sieve and Arno rivers and to serve as a water reserve for Florence. Over the years, the lake has also become a popular tourist destination, becoming an important spot for sports and recreational activities. The dam project dates back to the 1950s, but construction began in the 1980s and was completed in 1996, opening to the public in 1999. In the lake area, there is a WWF nature reserve, spanning twenty-five hectares between the Tuscan-Romagnolo Apennines and the Calvana mountains. The area is surrounded by woods, cultivated areas, and pastures, hosting numerous animal species such as woodcocks, thrushes, ducks, pink flamingos, white storks, river nightingales, falcons, and buzzards. Among the figures who have made it famous, in addition to the Medici Family who originated there, are Bartolomeo Corsini (1606-1673), a poet judged the most talented in Mugello for his heroic-comic poem "Torracchione desolato," which narrates a burlesque war in the Mugello valley. On January 4, 1903, the Municipal Theater of Barberino was named after him; Gastone Nencini (1930-1980), a cycling champion who won the Giro d'Italia in 1957 and the Tour de France in 1960. In 2007, during the Barberino di Mugello-Fiorano Modenese stage of the 90th Giro d'Italia, he was posthumously awarded the "Barba d'Oro" honor; Giuliano Vangi (1931-), an internationally renowned sculptor and painter. On June 17, 2007, he received the "Barba d'Oro" honor, and in 2015, the Giuliano Vangi Permanent Collection was inaugurated, housed on the second floor of the Palazzo Pretorio.

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