Sieci
Sieci: a fraction of Pontassieve
Sieci, also known as Remole, is a fraction located in the municipality of Pontassieve, in the metropolitan city of Florence, in Tuscany. The village is located along the banks of the Arno river, where the Sieci stream flows into it, at the foot of the Remole hill. Sieci borders Molino del Piano to the north, the municipal capital to the east, the fraction of Villamagna (Bagno a Ripoli) in the municipality of Bagno a Ripoli to the south, and the fraction of Compiobbi in the municipality of Fiesole to the west.
History
The village of Sieci was named in the XIII century as a place called Lucente located near the possessions of the archbishop's table of Florence in the village of San Martino's Church, which is now known as Molino del Piano. The toponym Sieci was already mentioned to indicate the homonymous stream in the early years of the XI century.
In the high-medieval period, the Remole castle became important. In 1191, the emperor Henry VI of Swabia confirmed it to the Benedictine nuns of Sant'Ellero, alongside the patronage of the Pieve di San Giovanni a Rèmole and its court to Guido Guerra III, palatine count of Tuscany. Frederick II of Swabia confirmed it to his heirs in 1220 and 1247. In 1833, the village of Remole had 766 inhabitants.
With the opening of the Sieci Station in the mid-nineteenth century, the fraction began to develop along the railway track on the Arno downstream of the Remole castle. Eventually, it took on the current name "Le Sieci". In the 2011 census, it was the most populous fraction of the municipality with 3500 inhabitants.
Monuments and places of interest
Among all the attractions in the village of Sieci, one of the most prominent monuments is the Pieve di San Giovanni a Rèmole. The Romanesque church has a slender bell tower that served as a visual and sound reference for travelers and pilgrims along the Aretina road. After the restorations of 1950 that eliminated all subsequent ornaments, it preserves some valuable works of art inside, including a painting very close to the style of Sandro Botticelli and a rare thirteenth-century Madonna.
Near the church, along the descent towards the Arno, one can find a two hundred-year-old tower that belonged to the Donati family and an adjacent villa. Furthermore, not far from the Arno side, there is an abandoned ceramic factory called Brunelleschi, the oldest on the territory and dating back to 1774, the Church of Saints Martino and Giusto in Quona, and, in the locality of Gricigliano, the homonymous villa of Gricigliano, where the international seminary of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest is located, together with the Church of San Giovanni Battista in Monteloro.
In conclusion, Sieci is a fraction rich in history, monuments, and a series of attractions that make it a perfect place for a visit.
