Montale
Discover Montale
Hello friends! Let me tell you a bit about Montale, an Italian municipality with a population of 10,562 located in Tuscany, in the province of Pistoia.
Physical geography
Montale is located in the Ombrone valley at the foot of the Apennine Mountains and borders Montemurlo to the east, Agliana to the south, Pistoia to the west, and Cantagallo to the north. The most important watercourse is the Agna creek, which marks the border with Montemurlo and between the provinces of Pistoia and Prato. The Bure River to the south is the border with Agliana. The town is longitudinally crossed by the Settola creek. The hamlets of Tobbiana, Fognano, Stazione di Montale and the Abbey of San Salvatore in Agna are part of the municipality's territory. Montale is divided into two parts, the eponymous town and Montale Alto, located on the hill above the town, where the Castle once stood and only scant traces remain. You should know that Montale is in a medium-high seismic zone, so we must be careful in case of an earthquake!
Climate
The city belongs to zone D in the climate classification, with 1811 degree-days, and the atmospheric diffusivity is low according to the Ibimet CNR of 2002.
History
Montale has a flat, hilly and medium mountain area. The extension of its territory remained that of the ancient medieval podesteria with recent modifications in the 19th century and in 1913. From here, the hamlet of Agliana was detached.
Roman era
You should know that in the Roman era, in the 4th century AD, in the place where Montale now stands, there was a stopping point on the Via Cassia, called Hellana. This place was located between the Abbey of San Salvatore in Agna and the Smilea Castle. The toponym Smilea derives from a boundary marker called by Roman agronomists mausoleum. In the 6th and 7th centuries, the toponym Hellana changed to Eleana. The Clodian Way reached Pistoia via the Seiarcole bridge, which crossed the ancient bed of the Bure. Today, only a remnant of the bridge remains, transformed into a tabernacle.
Early Middle Ages
From 772, a Pistoia monastery under the dependency of the Santa Giulia Monastery in Brescia is documented, donated by Abbot Ermeberte, presumably the founder. In the 9th century, the monastery of San Salvatore in Alina, a private and non-dependent monastery, was documented.
And so dear friends, now you know a little more about Montale, its geographical location, and its history. Don't miss the next episode to discover even more about the Italian municipality of Montale!
