The village of Santa Fiora, the works of Andrea della Robbia, the Abbey of San Salvatore, the Aldobrandeschi Castle in Arcidosso, the Garden of Daniel Spoerri in Seggiano, the Tibetan Community of Merigar, the Amiatina Bible, the Mining Museum Park, the Oil Museum, are just some of the symbols of the History of Monte Amiata.
Culture on Mount Amiata
Experiences and cultural aspects of Monte Amiata
MOUNT AMIATA, OUR SACRED MOUNTAIN
It was the Sacred Mountain of the Etruscans. Also inhabited by the Romans especially for the numerous spas that we find here. It had a period of great development following the Lombard domination. The Abbey of San Salvatore, the Amiatina Bible, the countless castles, hermitages and parish churches, are the symbols of an important past that saw Amiata as a battleground and dominion of great potentates. The Benedictine Monks, the Aldobrandeschi (one of the most important Count families between the Low and High Middle Ages) and then the Republic of Siena, the Medici of Florence, the Sforza of Milan. All have left a trace of their passage on the territory. The statutes granted on several occasions to the proud people, valorized the olive and chestnut cultures, thanks to which people rarely suffered hunger. Of great importance is the epic linked to the mining exploitation that marked over a century of history and which today is represented in the various Mine Museums. In modern times, the sacred aura of Amiata has been fueled by the events related to David Lazzaretti (the Christ of Amiata) and the Tibetan Community of Merigar, which was founded here in the 80s. Even an artist such as Daniel Spoerri chose Amiata for his extraordinary Garden. This is accompanied by the culture of food: wine, oil, chestnuts, mushrooms, cheeses, baked goods, these and others represent the expression of a culture that has been forged under the spirit of human domination and the action of a nature as beautiful as it is harsh.
