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History of Vicchio in the Province of Florence

Vicchio has ancient origins dating back to the Etruscan period: there is proof in the archeological excavations of Poggio Colla, a hill south east of Montesassi. The events which characterized its history and development date back to the end of the 13th century.

It was at this time that living with both the feudal dominion (exercized by the Ubaldini and other families who lived in the area like the Guidi) and the new socio-economic organization of Florence at the time of the birth of the municipality, became all too soon, intolerable.

The origins of Vicchio date back to 1295 when, after the fighting between the feudal lords of the area and the Municipality of Florence was solved in favour of the latter, the Montesassi bridge was built (today’s Ponte a Vicchio) and the population of San Giusto in Montesassi crossed the Sieve to build the first urban nucleus called Vico, from which the name Vicchio derived.

With the construction of the city walls in 1324, which enclosed an area much larger than the old Vico, the village became part of the Florentine countryside. From this moment on, a period of concrete development began. Vicchio became the seat of a Podestà, which in 1838 was suppressed to be joined with that of Borgo San Lorenzo.
One of the most beautiful pages in the history of Vicchio was written by one of its citizens during the Resistance.

The most significant facts are connected to the liberation of the town by the partisans on March 6, 1944. The reaction of the Fascists and the Germans was very violent and there were great dramatic episodes like that of the execution of five farmers from Vicchio at the Campo di Marte in Florence on March 22, 1944 and the massacre of Padulivo in July of 1944 when fifteen civilians were murdered by the SS troups.
In the period after the second World War, Don Lorenzo Milani was priest and founded his own school in the Church of Barbiana.

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