Anghiari

The history

The castle at Anghiari grew from an original nucleus with fortifications. A feud belonging to the Camaldolesi, it was soon included in the area under the jurisdiction of Arezzo which in 1204 built new walls around it. Between 1228 and 1259 a great deal of drainage work was carried out in the plane between Sansepolcro and Anghiari, including a diversion in the course of the Tiber.

Guido Tarlati, ruler in Arezzo from 1321 to 1327, entrusted the village to his brother Pier Saccone who had a road built to Sansepolcro. In 1385, with the annexing of Arezzo, the City of Florence also acquired control over Anghiari, seat of a vicariate which Florence could hardly keep under control due to the distance and the unrest of the local nobility.

Between the 16th and 19th centuries work with iron developed as a craft, part of which was the production of firearms. These were to become famous. Among the historic activities to record are the wool mills and dyers who used “guado”, a colour extracted from a plant (Isatis Tinctoria).