Follonica () is a town and comune (township) of province of Grosseto in the Italy region of Tuscany, on the Gulf of Follonica ( Golfo di Follonica), about northwest of the city of Grosseto.
History
It was founded in 1834 by Grand Duke Leopold II of Tuscany for the workers of a new ironworks plant. However, the area was already settled in Etruscan and Roman times, and a medieval castle (
Castello di Valli), whose ruins overlook now the modern town from a nearby hill, existed since at least 884. Until 1923 it was a
frazione of
Massa Marittima.
Economy
Tourism
Follonica is a tourist site during the summer, mostly visited by the Italians themselves, lately, it has been visited from other people from other countries, such as Germany, France and United Kingdom. The city has been awarded the
Bandiera Blu ("Blue Flag") every year from 2000 to 2007 for the cleanliness of its beaches and
seawater.
Government
List of mayors
|
| Giò Batta Santini | 1944 | 1948 | Italian Socialist Party |
| Milton Bartoli | 1948 | 1951 | Italian Socialist Party |
| Dino Tesi | 1951 | 1956 | Italian Socialist Party |
| Osvaldo Bianchi | 1956 | 1963 | Italian Socialist Party |
| Giovanni Coppola | 1963 | 1966 | Italian Socialist Party |
| Dino Abati | 1966 | 1970 | Italian Republican Party |
| Ovidio Angeluccetti | 1970 | 1980 | Italian Communist Party |
| Massimo Corti | 1980 | 1983 | Italian Socialist Party |
| Lorenzo Chelini | 1983 | 1987 | Italian Communist Party |
| Enrico Norcini | 1987 | 1995 | Italian Communist Party/Democratic Party of the Left |
| Emilio Bonifazi | 1995 | 2004 | Democratic Party of the Left/The Daisy |
| Claudio Saragosa | 2004 | 2009 | Democrats of the Left/Democratic Party |
| Eleonora Baldi | 2009 | 2014 | Democratic Party |
| Andrea Benini | 2014 | Incumbent | Democratic Party |
|
Main sights
-
Church of San Leopoldo, built by will of duke Leopold II of Tuscany starting from 1836
-
Castle of Valli, built in the 8th century as residence of the bishops of Lucca; later it was owned by the Aldobrandeschi who, in the 13th century, sold it to the Republic of Pisa. In the 14th century it was a fortress of the Principality of Piombino until, in 1815, it became part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.
-
Pievaccia, remains of a large fortified medieval monastery.
Sport
USD Follonica Gavorrano born of the merger between the teams of
Gavorrano and Follonica, militant in
Serie D.
Transports
- Road
The
Via Aurelia highway (
SS 1), which runs from
Rome to the Franco-Italian border, passes close by the city.
- Train
The Pisa–Rome railway runs through the city, providing direct railway connections to the cities of
Grosseto,
Rome,
Pisa and
Livorno, among others. The train station opened in 1863. The city was also served by a secondary station located at the pier by the sea, the Follonica Porto station on the Massa Marittima–Follonica line, which was closed at the end of World War II.
Sister cities
External links
