MONTICCHIELLO
Monticchiello os a pretty medieval village in the heart of the Val d’Orcia, which origins lose themselves in the time.The first official document dates back to the 973
when the marquis Lamberto Aldobrandesco surrendered the castle to the Badia Amiatina for a conspicuous sum of money. In the following years Monticchiello will belong to the Roman church and particularly to the Teutonici riders (until 1230), that being an order accustomed to fight, resulted proper to administer a territory of frontier. The first document relating the free Commune of Monticchiello brings the date of the 1243. From this moment, for beyond three centuries, the castle remained faithful to Siena until his capitulation in 1559 with the Frank-Spanish war, becoming, like the whole state of Siena, part of the Granducato of Tuscany. After five centuries the Commune of Monticchiello came under the jurisdiction of the Commune of Pienza in 1777.
Teatro Povero di Monticchiello
The poor Theater of Monticchiello, born in 1967, realizes a life and culture experience particularly interesting. The inhabitants of the place, in fact, from the end of July for almost all month long of August, put in scene a drama, in the main square of the village, with daily replicas, that is completely written, directed and staged by themselves; the same staff creates also the music and the scenery. In the last years the performances, “recited” in the typical Val d’Orcia dialect; have been divided in two parts, the first concerning experiences of the past country life during the first half of the 20th century, the second dramatising themes of current events. The theatrical experience of the people of Monticchiello from “popular experiment” has become a meaningful example of making theatre in Italy, with flattering judgments of public and review.