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Suvereto is a Etruscan land, but leaving aside any reference to the settlements of that era– which make the hinterland of Populonia so interesting for the study of that period – it is enough to say that the origins of Suvereto can definitely be traced back to before the year 1000. Written documents of the tenth century in fact refer to the castrum of Suvereto, indicating this as a well-organised and functional centre which had grown up around the church dedicated to San Giusto. The foundation of this church surely reflects a point intermediate in time and space in the transferral of the seat of the diocese from Populonia to Massa Marittima in the eleventh century. At this time the Aldobrandeschi Counts – Lords of the local castle, were attempting to consolidate their dominion over the local area and population: Suvereto was a key element in the strategy of this noble house.
In the twelfth century the first tower was built on the summit of that hill which was to see the growth of the complex of buildings known as the Rocca Aldobrandesca. To this same period date the first defensive ditches encircling the inhabited areas. Toward the end of that century the inhabitants of Suvereto organised themselves in the form of a free comune and at the very dawn of the new century, in 1201, they obtained further economic and political concessions from the Count Palatine Ildebrandino VIII. By this time the habitation area (the borgo) was extending southwards down the hillsides beneath the castle itself: this too was later to be protected by walls. This urban development continued throughout the thirteenth century along with an increase in the population, such that Suvereto became a significant local centre, able to construct a Town Hall (Palazzo Comunale) and other buildings of noteworthy architectural merit, both civil and religious – the Convent of San Francesco being a fine example. The thirteenth century should be considered the golden age of Suvereto for all of these reasons, even though demographic and urban expansion continued on and off throughout the Lower Middle Ages and the beginnings of the modern era.
Populonia is a a village of the commune of Piombino. It is especially noteworthy for its Etrascan remains, including one of the main necropolis in Italy, discovered by Isidoro Falchi. It is located at the north end of the peninsular of Monte Massoncello, north of Piombino.
Apart from the Etruscan sites, it has a massive fortress built in the 15th century by the Appiani lord of Piombino, with stones taken from Etruscan remains.
Populonia was an ancient seaport of Etruria , originally connected to Volterra but later turning into a flourishing independent minearary and mariner center. The harbour, however, continued to be of some importance, and the place was still an episcopal see in the 6th century. The city was destroyed in 570 by the Lombards. The few survivors, led by bishop St. Cerbo, fled to Elba.
Gulf of Baratti is nestled under Populonia, a spectacular promontory about 70 km south of Livorno; it`s shielded from the sea and calm. With calm seas, on the other hand, Populonia has dozens of tiny inlets that can only be reached by boat. It`s a sun-worshiper`s paradise, and also a diver`s -- you may even find something Etruscan under the waves, because Baratti is where the Etruscans smelted the iron ore they mined on Elba, and their transport ships did occasionally sink.
The tombs of the necropolis of Populonia are located close to the gulf of Baratti, and the powerful cities of Roselle and Vetulonia once overlooked Lake Prile. The ancient Etruscan cities, and the finds and remains scattered around the region are now being safeguarded bu such schemes as the Prco Archeologico-Naturalistico Baratti-Populonia and, in the province of Grosseto, the Parco della Civiltà Etrusca, comprising five separate archaeological areas.
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