I’m getting to know this little borgo fairly well. It’s wonderful how knowing a little history can help you put down roots in a new place. Even though not knowing fact from fiction often irritates me, the intertwining of legend and history is at least poetic, if not accurate.
Signora Andreini, our Italian history/culture teacher) gave us a wonderful little overview of the history of this place since prehistoric times. Apparently there used to be a settlement here way before the Etruscans were around. The town itself is said to be founded about 1000 by two relic-bearing pilgrims from the east (Egidio and Arcano—see the picture of wooden heads on a door—were apparently on the way back from the Holy Land) who received a divine sign that this was where they should build a chapel to house the relics. It turned out to be a convenient place, since Sansepolcro (short for Santo Sepolcro…can you guess what that should be in English?) is right on the Tivere (Tiber), near the intersection of the borders of Toscana, Umbria, Marche and Emelia Romagna, and at the intersection of the trade routes that went from the Mediterranean to the Adriatic and from Firenze (Florence) to Roma. Really, these guys needed a sign from God? They really should have figured it out themselves.
Because of its strategic location, the town got taken over by pretty much everybody else at some point or another. The initial power struggle was between the Church and the wealthy families of the town. They built competing structures (a cathedral and a tower) and eventually the Church won out, since the tower was blown up by the Germans during WWII. It’s a bit ironic, if you want to get analytical and intellectual about it, which my nerdy self usually does. Nazis blow up the tower of “mammon” but leave the cathedral untouched… but I digress.
Anyway, in 1441, the Florentines took over, and the artistic and cultural community soared to giddy heights in this little town. Pierro Della Francesca is the biggest name, but there were lots of other intellectuals, artists, mathematicians, and scientists. The Florentines also had the walls rebuilt to solidify their new acquisition; it’s amazing to walk along lovely old stonework that was designed to keep people with swords and crossbows from marauding and rampaging. The feeling of primitive danger and generally un-civilized behavior makes a simple walk down to the supermarket quite exciting. Look out! A Renaissance bandit might jump out and take your groceries at sword’s point!