Guardistallo

The second of the "Three towns, situated on a ridge of low - to-back parallel to the sea. And 'animated by brisk country and possesses a theatre of the last century. At the oldest still show traces of the earthquake of 1846.
The name Guardistallo before Gualdistallo is very Lombard origin. The first human settlements, documented by archaeological finds are made even go back to the prehistoric period. Ritrovamenti of axes and daggers of stone and bronze, burials took place according to the rite dell'inumazione position rannicchiata, Guardistallo testify to a human presence already 4-5 thousand years before Christ. The findings are in the section of Prehistoric Archaeological Museum of Florence.
Castle Guardistallo was under the rule of Della Gherardesca, branch of Montescudaio, from Thousand until the fall of the Republic of Pisa in Florence in 1406, when it was in common. The statutes were drafted together with those of Montescudaio and won for both countries; many magistrates were unique. In 1447, like many other castles in the Val di Cecina, was occupied by troops of Alfonso of Aragon, King of Naples, which destroyed most of the houses and buildings. However remained standing formwork of the fortress of Auditors, who was shot down only by the earthquake of 1846.
There is a lack of news on the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, we know that only in 1551 Guardistallo had 428 inhabitants.
In 1739 the territory was incorporated into the feud marquis Carlo Ginori composed of the territories of Cecina, Riparbclla, Casale and part of Bibbona.In those years by coastal plains spread malaria who had many victims even in countries hills and thick woods that prevented ventilation contributed to the aggravation of the situation. In 1742 the Targioni Tozzetti visited the country and described it this way: "Guardistallo was already big castle, but today has suffered a lot and there are many ruins [...]. He nearby woods and the water has not very good. He is, however, true that those who are not obliged to fly in flat, campaigns and very healthy. "From the coastal plain fact spread malaria who had many victims even in countries hills and thick woods that prevented ventilation were the Aggravating the disease. In 1745 Guardistallo had 415 inhabitants and was not increased compared to 200 years earlier, but even that had suffered sharp drop in population that is found in many other centres in the area during this period.
After the dissolution of feuds and the redistribution of land in the sphere of agrarian reform was formed leopoldina Guardistallo also, since 1776, a new class of wealthy landowners who favored the development of agriculture and consequently growth of the country in Guardistallo 1833 had 1,140 inhabitants.
On 14 August 1846 the countries of the Tuscan coast were struck by a violent earthquake in a few moments down houses, palaces, churches and towers. Most medieval castles in the area between Casale, Volterra and Pisa was destroyed at that time. Guardistallo, along with Orciano in VaI of Tora, was the country that reported the greatest damage. The 70% of the homes were destroyed and part of the castle, the highest in the country, went completely ruined the formwork of the fortress with homes surrounding the church with steeple and the cemetery were reduced to a pile of rubble. Restarono homeless families 117.
In his book History of Tremoto, published in Pisa in the same 1846 Leopoldo Pilla describes the situation in the country: "When we say that the tremuoto August 14, reduced the country Guardistallo in a pile of ruins, nothing more remains to be added. Not a house, not a ceiling was almost saved by turbines that art should not demolish. [...) And yet in the midst of all the moving, among many extended mine that country does not matter that the death of an only child. Incredible thing! [...] The huts were badly costrutte from top to bottom nabissate. [...] The (house Franceschi) filed all stages collapsed and the wall in front strapiombato in its top in a manner spaventevole, but right. [...] A couple of Guardistallo gave pruova of great courage on that occasion had appuntellare that wall to prevent its ruin finally smashing of the houses nearby.
After the earthquake there is a phase of reconstruction and widening of the country. In 1870 came the new church built on the town side facing the sea and almost the same time is the construction of the Villa Elena, town house of Marchionneschi, one of the most important families of Guardistallo. In 1883 the Marchionneschi even built a theater, a place of entertainment for the rich families of the district and expression of their abundance. And 'with reference to these times of elegance and witness of life of its lords, which Guardistallo was also called "the little Paris" and its inhabitants took the name "calzelunghe".
At the end of the Second World War, in 1944, the German army retreating put in place a ferocious reprisals in response to partisan actions took place in the area. Sessantatre people, among them women, children, many displaced people and the mayor, elected just the day before, were rakes, brought out country and shot. A second massacre of 120 other people at the last moment was prevented only by courageous intervention of the parish priest of the village, Don Deck Rafanelli. The place dell'eccidio along the road to Cecina, is marked by a stone and the day of the massacre, on June 29, is commemorated every year with a procession. Since the war the number of inhabitants of Guardistallo is declining in the last census fell below the threshold of 1,000: 936 souls between country and country against 1,002 in 1981.Oggi the country is geared mainly toward tourism.

From Guide Val di Cecina, edited by Susanne Mordhorst, New Image Publishing