Capanne – Village History and Church Art

Capanne: a rural village with a history of its own

Capanne is a modest rural village that was formerly called Capanne di Saturni. Its history dates back to the 15th century: at that time, the settlement was established at the behest of the Republic of Siena as a modest agricultural centre. Anyone wishing to understand Tuscany not only through its major art cities but also through smaller historic places will find a particularly concentrated mix of village history, church art and archaeological traces here.

Church art in Capanne and Poggio Capanne

In Capanne, the Church of the Visitation of Mary is dated to 1570 based on the date on its entrance portal. Its furnishings also include a wooden crucifix associated with local legends and traditions. Alongside its recorded construction date, these two details give the church a local and religious layer of remembrance. Poggio Capanne also has notable connections to devotion to the Virgin Mary and to the history of Italian painting. The Church of the Visitation of Mary there houses a 19th-century painting depicting the enthroned Madonna and Child between Saint Anthony Abbot and Saint Joseph. It also contains a reduced 17th-century copy of Federico Barrocci’s 1586 altarpiece of the Visitation from the Chiesa Nuova in Rome. The original from 1586 is in the Chiesa Nuova in Rome, while Poggio Capanne preserves the reduced copy. This creates an art-historical accent that extends beyond the immediate village history.

Archaeological traces around Poggio Capanne

Several caves carved into the rock have been identified near Poggio Capanne. Their appearance and features resemble those of the necropolises associated with the Rinaldone culture. The caves are therefore preserved in the landscape as archaeologically identified traces; this description does not imply that they can be visited today. A copper axe from the necropolis near Poggio Capanne is dated to the first phase of the Early Bronze Age. Together with the caves, this find opens up a temporal horizon that lies far before the emergence of the medieval-influenced village. Capanne and its surroundings can therefore be viewed not only through churches and houses but also through very early evidence of human history.

Notable details in the village landscape

Several specific details form part of the historic village landscape. The building to the left of Capanne’s parish church is traditionally identified as a prison where people held accountable by the jurisdiction of Saturnia were detained. A building arranged in an L-shape beside the church preserves a small triangular plaque bearing the year 1500 on its façade. Casa Luciani also bears the year 1500 as its date of foundation. The building also contains a fresco depicting the Madonna and Child with saints. If you would like to consider other places for your selection of destinations in Tuscany, you can also view Montemerano, Poggio Murella, Saturnia and Marsiliana.

For the broader travel overview: Manciano.