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History of the Village of Fucecchio in Tuscany

In the 10th century Fucecchio was inhabited near the ford of the Arno along the Via Francigena, where the Cadolingi Counts had vast landownings along with the castle of Salamarzana. Near the bridge called “di Bonfiglio”, which would soon substitute the
ford, the counts built an oratory which was transformed into a monastery dedicated to S. Salvatore and then moved in 1106 to the hill of Salamartano because of repeated flooding.

After the extinction of the Cadolingia dynasty in 1113, the men of Fucecchio asked for and obtained the authorization to construct city walls and the freedom from dominion in exchange for obedience to the Empire. During the following centuries, when the urban aspect of Fucecchio was changed by the construction of new palazzos (palaces) and the demolition of the medieval walls, the local economy began developing the handicraft industry.

The true “industrial revolution” began for Fucecchio after World War II, with the development of the leather tanning and shoemaking sectors, when the increase in employment attracted substantial immigration from the south, with the population topping 200,000 inhabitants. The town sufferred serious injuries during the second World War, among those were the loss of the 14th century tower called“Castruccio” and the fortress of the same period, which has now been restored.

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