Macchiascandona

Macchiascandona
Frazione
Macchiascandona Location of Macchiascandona in Italy
Coordinates: 42°48′10″N10°59′24″E / 42.80278°N 10.99000°E / 42.80278; 10.99000
Country	Italy
Region	Tuscany
Province	Grosseto (GR)
Comune	Castiglione della Pescaia
Elevation	32 m (105 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	29
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	58043
Dialing code	(+39) 0564

Macchiascandona (also known as Le Palazzine) is a hamlet in the municipality of Castiglione della Pescaia, province of Grosseto, in Tuscany, central Italy.

The hamlet is located near the eastern edge of the municipality, at the foot of Poggio Ballone and along the Bruna River, which also marks the border with Grosseto. Significant hydraulic reclamation projects between the 19th and 20th centuries have shaped the area's landscape. Macchiascandona is bordered to the east by the drainage canal, which runs parallel to the river's right embankment, while the Sovata stream joins the Bruna just north of the village. The area is known for producing olive oil and sunflowers, as well as for breeding Maremma cattle and horses.

History

Macchiascandona stands in a territory once inhabited by the Etruscans and Romans, on the northern shores of the now-vanished Lake Prile. Numerous ancient Etruscan and Roman artifacts have been discovered throughout the area. ^[1]

For a long time, the land remained uninhabited due to harsh environmental conditions caused by the marshland of Lake Prile and the spread of malaria. The first hydraulic reclamation works were initiated in the first half of the 19th century under the orders of Grand Duke Leopold II, who began the land reclamation of the Grosseto plain through sediment deposition. ^[2] In 1844, the Macchiascandona drainage canal was built to channel clear waters from the reclaimed land. In 1852, work began on reshaping the Bruna River's course to make it flow parallel to the drainage canal. ^[3] These reclamation efforts continued during the Kingdom of Italy under the direction of engineer Alfredo Baccarini, first head of Grosseto's Civil Engineering Department and later Minister of Public Works. ^[3]

Macchiascandona's reclamation was finally completed during the Fascist era. In the late 1920s, the Bruna River's embankments were definitively reinforced, a road connecting to Montepescali was built, and the modern Macchiascandona bridge was constructed. ^[4] Most notably, a "workers' village" was inaugurated for laborers involved in the construction of the riverbanks and riverbed, as part of Minister Giovanni Giuriati's national initiative for the development of new agricultural settlements. ^[5]

See also

• Buriano, Castiglione della Pescaia
• Braccagni
• Giuncarico
• Grilli, Gavorrano
• Vetulonia

References

1. Celuzza, Mariagrazia (2007). Guida al Museo archeologico della Maremma e al Museo d'arte sacra della Diocesi di Grosseto. Siena: Nuova Immagine.
2. Lorenzo Chelazzi; Isabella Colombini; Mario Fallaci; Elena Gagnarli, eds. (2008). La memoria dell'acqua nella pianura grossetana (PDF). Florence: National Research Council.
3. Baccarini, Alfredo (1873). Sul compimento delle opere di bonificazione e sulla definitiva regolazione delle acque nelle Maremme toscane. Rome: Sinimberghi. p. 70.
4. Tognozzi, Massimiliano (1937). "Le realizzazioni del regime nella Maremma toscana". Annali dei lavori pubblici: 137–142.
5. Neri, Baldo (15 January 1929). "Aspetti della bonifica in Maremma". Il Monitore tecnico: 22.

Further reading

• Baccarini, Alfredo (1873). Sul compimento delle opere di bonificazione e sulla definitiva regolazione delle acque nelle Maremme toscane. Rome: Sinimberghi.
• Lorenzo Chelazzi; Isabella Colombini; Mario Fallaci; Elena Gagnarli, eds. (2008). La memoria dell'acqua nella pianura grossetana (PDF). Florence: National Research Council.
• Simoncelli, Antonio Valentino (2008). Bonifiche nel Grossetano. Percorso storico dal 1200 ad oggi. Arcidosso: Effigi.