It sits on a hill, at the foot of which, between north and east, flows the Quarta stream, and between the ostro and sirocco the Sajo ditch, both of which empty into the Feccia stream.
The Castle of Montalcinello, already known as Montalcino, probably from the holm oak trees that covered this hill right from its origins, was the ancient lordship of the bishops of Volterra of the family of those dynasts who brought to the same table part of their ancestral inheritance and with it various places and deposits of castles in the Volterra countryside, is a subject on which it does not seem that Tuscan historians have so far instituted suitable investigations.
In the Articles CHIUSDINO and FROSINI I mentioned an award of 1134, thanks to which it was decided that Guido, Tedice, Pepone and Monaco sons of Count Ugo and Countess Gena should grant Crescenzio Pannocchieschi bishop of Volterra, his successors and vassals a necessary asylum in time of war in their castle of Frosini with an oath not to molest the aforementioned bishop in the domain of half of the castle and court of Chiusdino, when the other half was already held by the same four brothers. The Pannocchieschis had to make the same promise to two other fiefdoms of Bishop Crescenzio; that is, of the castle and court of Montalcino (Montalcinello) and of the castle of Montieri.
From this award, therefore, we understand that the lords of Frosini and Chiusdino, of the aforesaid house, were, as it seems to me, not only consorts of the Gherardesca counts, but still feudal lords of Bishop Crescenzio, who belonged to the same family magnatizia, as was that powerful bishop of Volterra Ildebrando Pannocchieschi who was privileged by Federigo I and Arrigo VI. – See VOLTERRA.
In a document of 8 October 1201, existing among the parchments of the community of Volterra gathered in the Arch.Dipl.Fior., it is a question of a donation made by Ildebrando Bishop of Volterra of some predj to the monastery of S. Galgano. This deed was drawn up in the castle of Montalcino in the diocese and county of Volterra, that is, in this Montalcinello where those prelates had a house. In fact, the successors of the aforementioned Hildebrand had their small copper coins minted not only in Montieri and Belforte, but also in Montalcinello; and it was the bishop of Volterra, Ranieri degli Ubertini, who in 1290 had the plebeian church of S. Magno in Montalcinello built.
In 1349, when the order of the political government of Volterra was changed, due to serious discords born between the Municipality and the bishop Filippo Belforti, the latter having to go to Rome, entrusted the custody of the Castles of Berignone and Montalcinello to a son of Octavian Belforti. Except that in 1356 the Republic of Siena took over the dominion of the castle of Montalcinello from the newly elected Volterra. Such a truth is demonstrated by some contracts existing in the Arch.Dipl.Sinese (Kaleffo nero N°.182.185.186.187. and 188.) in the Cronache, and in the Istorie di Siena.
In the first instrument of the black Kaleffo it concerns the possession taken in 1360 of the castle, court and district of Montalcinello, in the name of the Municipality of Siena, by authority granted to it by the bishop of Volterra, as in force of the obligations and concessions made by the prelates of the Volterra church, he took possession for the Municipality of Siena of the castle and court of Montalcinello. – The third instrument appeals to the oath of loyalty and submission taken by the men of Montalcinello to the Sienese Republic of their land, court and district; after which the XII governors of that Republic (fourth document) declared the inhabitants of Montalcinello citizens of Siena, on condition that they had to pay the duties and other burdens customary to be borne by the inhabitants of their city; and with that those inhabitants bought salt from the Municipality of Siena at 20 soldi a stajo, and offered every year to the cathedral on the day of S. Maria Assunta a prize worth 25 lire, plus 4 candles of a pound each.
In 1365 it was agreed between the Lords XII governors of Siena on one side, and two representatives of the bishop of Volterra on the other side, that the men of Montalcinello would pay the Municipality of Siena 250 lire a year, in addition to the usual offer of the palio and of the 4 candles; and vice versa that it would be in the free faculty of the bishops of Volterra to elect the judge of Montalcinello with right over civil, mixed and criminal cases; which conventions five years later were approved and sworn by the men of Montalcinello. – (ARCH.DIPL.SEN. Kaleffo nero n°214, 217 and 218).
Detached Montalcinello in this way from the countryside and temporal jurisdiction of Volterra, from that time on it has constantly remained under the government of Siena, even after the territory of that republic was reunited with the Medici crown of Florence.
It has been said above that the Bishops of Volterra had their small copper coins minted not only in Montieri and Belforte but still in Montalcinello. What alloy, what imprints, and what value they were, is attested by two instruments dated 14 August 1321 and 8 June 1323, when Bishop Rainuccio granted the faculty to some coiners and contractors to mint small coins, or crosas, in his castles of Berignone or Montalcinello, provided that each pound of alloy contained half an ounce of pure silver; from which pound in 1321 55 coins were made. But in 1323 it was agreed that 58 coins should be minted from one pound of the same coin. These coins had a cross carved on one side with the word Vulterra around; and on the reverse half-figure of the Bishop in pontifical dress with the words Episcopus Rainuccius around.
The large silver coin, i.e. the lira of Volterra, contained seven ounces of fine silver for each pound, so that it was equivalent to 17 soldi and 10 denari of the Florentine lira. – See VOLTERRA.
The parish church of S. Magno in Montalcinello has no branch churches. – In 1595 it had 314 inhabitants; in 1640 it had only 114; in 1745 it had risen to 221, and in 1833 it had 496 inhabitants, 59 of whom entered the Community of Radicondoli, the others in that of (ERRATA: Casole) Chiusdino.
MONTALCINELLO. – Finally add. – In 1845 his parish had 456 inhabitants in the main community of Chiusdino, over 60 individuals who entered the community of Radicondoli. – Total 516 Inhabitants.
