Monte Argentario
Monte Argentario | |
|---|---|
| Comune di Monte Argentario | |
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 Monte Argentario within the Province of Grosseto | |
Location of Monte Argentario  | |
  Monte Argentario Location of Monte Argentario in Italy  Monte Argentario Monte Argentario (Tuscany) | |
| Coordinates:42°26′N11°7′E/ 42.433°N 11.117°E | |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Tuscany |
| Province | Grosseto(GR) |
| Frazioni | Cala Moresca, Cala Piccola, Carrubo,Porto Ercole,Porto Santo Stefano,[1]Pozzarello, Santa Liberata, Sbarcatello, Terrarossa |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Francesco Borghini |
| Area | |
| • Total | 60.3 km2(23.3 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 5 m (16 ft) |
| Population (1 January 2022)[3] | |
| • Total | 11,994 |
| • Density | 200/km2(520/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Santostefanesi |
| Time zone | UTC+1(CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2(CEST) |
| Postal code | 58019 |
| Dialing code | 0564 |
| Patron saint | Sts.ErasmusandStephen |
| Saint day | June 2 |
| Website | Official website |
Monte Argentariois acomune(municipality) and a peninsula belonging to theProvince of Grossetoin theItalianregionTuscany,located about 150 kilometres (93 mi) south ofFlorenceand about 35 kilometres (22 mi) south ofGrosseto.The peninsula is connected with the mainland by three spits of land which form two lagoons, theLaguna di Ponenteon the west side and theLaguna di Levanteon the east side of the middle dam. The two main villages on Monte Argentario arePorto Santo Stefano,chief town, facing north, andPorto Ercolefacing south.
The panoramic roadStrada panoramicastarts in Porto Santo Stefano allowing splendid views of the coast and theTuscan Archipelago.
Monte Argentario borders thecomuneofOrbetello,which is located on the middle dam between the two lagoons.
Geography
[edit]
Monte Argentario is a promontory stretching towards theTyrrhenian Seain correspondence of the two southernmost islands of theTuscan Archipelago,GiglioandGiannutri.The promontory was an island in the past, but the sea currents and theAlbegnariver joined it with the mainland through two so-calledtomboli(stretches of land), the Tombolo ofGiannellaand the Tombolo of the Feniglia.
The highest peak of Monte Argentario is the Punta Telegrafo at 635 metres (2,083 ft) above sea level. The landscape and the coast are mainly rocky, with numerous harbors, usually with rock beaches. The municipal seat is in the northern settlement,Porto Santo Stefano.The other main settlement in the township isPorto Ercole.
Argentarola cave lies close to Argentario promontory. The high qualityspeleothemsthat have been collected from this cave have allowed scientists to study the 215,000 year history of sea-level oscillations in this region.[4]
Climate
[edit]| Climate data for Monte Argentario (1991-2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 8.83 (47.89) |
9.50 (49.10) |
12.33 (54.19) |
15.61 (60.10) |
20.38 (68.68) |
25.29 (77.52) |
28.88 (83.98) |
29.03 (84.25) |
23.61 (74.50) |
18.23 (64.81) |
13.21 (55.78) |
9.72 (49.50) |
17.88 (64.19) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 6.09 (42.96) |
6.20 (43.16) |
8.53 (47.35) |
11.45 (52.61) |
15.81 (60.46) |
20.36 (68.65) |
23.47 (74.25) |
23.81 (74.86) |
19.11 (66.40) |
14.89 (58.80) |
10.57 (51.03) |
7.15 (44.87) |
13.95 (57.12) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 4.15 (39.47) |
3.92 (39.06) |
5.87 (42.57) |
8.51 (47.32) |
12.51 (54.52) |
16.75 (62.15) |
19.55 (67.19) |
20.00 (68.00) |
15.97 (60.75) |
12.53 (54.55) |
8.54 (47.37) |
5.14 (41.25) |
11.12 (52.02) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 59.25 (2.33) |
47.31 (1.86) |
50.38 (1.98) |
44.65 (1.76) |
38.85 (1.53) |
17.60 (0.69) |
9.61 (0.38) |
15.61 (0.61) |
66.19 (2.61) |
75.55 (2.97) |
102.25 (4.03) |
72.13 (2.84) |
599.38 (23.59) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 6.23 | 5.37 | 5.77 | 5.87 | 4.90 | 2.13 | 1.17 | 1.86 | 4.50 | 5.73 | 9.23 | 7.90 | 60.66 |
| Averagerelative humidity(%) | 75.15 | 71.66 | 69.63 | 67.35 | 64.45 | 60.78 | 56.79 | 58.68 | 67.44 | 75.84 | 79.08 | 75.26 | 68.51 |
| Averagedew point°C (°F) | 1.83 (35.29) |
0.94 (33.69) |
2.62 (36.72) |
4.85 (40.73) |
8.09 (46.56) |
11.29 (52.32) |
12.82 (55.08) |
13.50 (56.30) |
12.28 (54.10) |
10.44 (50.79) |
6.97 (44.55) |
2.84 (37.11) |
7.37 (45.27) |
| Source:NOAA[5] | |||||||||||||
History
[edit]
The promontory, probably already inhabited by theEtruscans,was a personal property of theDomitii Ahenobarbifamily, who obtained it in return for the money they lent to theRoman Republicin thePunic Wars.The current name probably finds its origin here, sinceArgentariiwas the name of money lenders in ancient Rome.
Later an imperial possession, it was ceded to the church byConstantine the Greatin the 4th century AD. In the Middle Ages, due to the reduced traffic passing on the nearbyVia Aurelia,the area was sparsely settled. In the heart of the Middle Ages, the promontory became a possession of the Monastery of San Paolo in Rome.[6]It represented in the so-called Carolingian Gate at the Monastery of St. Anastius outside Rome. Following the history of Orbetello, the promontory was a possession of theAldobrandeschi,theOrsini,KingLadislaus of NaplesandSiena,untilSpainacquired it in the late 16th century. The Spaniards heavily fortified the two ports, as the main stronghold of theState of Presidi.In 1815, afterNapoleon's defeat, the Argentario was handed over to theGrand Duchy of Tuscany,to which it belonged until 1860, when it became part of the newly unitedKingdom of Italy.
The painter Michelangelo Merisi, known asCaravaggio,died of a fever at Porto Ercole in 1610.
DuringWorld War II,the settlements of Argentario were heavily bombed, with numerous losses. The port of Santo Stefano was destroyed, and was rebuilt only in the 1950s. The railway that connected Orbetello to the mainland was never rebuilt.
Main sights
[edit]- Monastery of the Presentationand Punta Telegrafo.
- Rocca Spagnola(Spanish Fortress), in Porto Santo Stefano.
- Forte FilippoandForte Stella,in Porto Ercole.
- The church of St. Erasmus, in the historical centre of Porto Ercole, not far from thePorta Pisana.
- TheVia panoramica(Panoramic Road), running alongside the coast.
- Argentario Aquarium
Notable people
[edit]- Caravaggio(1571–1610), artist
- Paul of the Cross(1694–1775), mystic, and founder of the Passionists
- Susanna Agnelli(1922–2009), politician, former mayor of Monte Argentario
- Juliana of the Netherlands(1909–2004), Queen of the Netherlands
- Benedetta Barzini(born 1943), actress and model
- Giorgetto Giugiaro(born 1938), designer
- Jessica Brando(born 1994), singer
- Luca Coscioni(1967–2006), economist and politician
- Angelo Cardinal Comastri(born 1943), Bishop of Massa Marittima-Piombino, later named cardinal
- Pino Luongo(born 1953), New York restaurateur; cookbook writer and memoirist
- Jorge Chaminé(born 1956), baritone
- Guido Carli(1914–93), banker, economist and politician
- Giangiacomo Feltrinelli(1926–1972), publisher
- Rossana Podestà(1934–2013), actress
- Olin Stephens(1908–2008), American yacht designer
- Andrei Sakharov(1921–89), Soviet nuclear physicist, dissident and human rights activist
- Don Lurio,(1929–2003), dancer, choreographer and presenter
- Amintore Fanfani(1908–99), economist and politician
- Raffaella Carrà(1943–2021), singer, dancer, television presenter, and actress.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^(in Italian)Municipal seat:Infos on Monte Argentario official website
- ^"Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011".Italian National Institute of Statistics.Retrieved16 March2019.
- ^All demographics and other statistics: Italian statistical instituteISTAT.
- ^Caramanna, G (2013)."Scientific diving for geological research: Examples from Italy".In: Lang, M.A., and M.D.J. Sayer, editors. 2013. Proceedings of the 2013 AAUS/ESDP Curaçao Joint International Scientific Diving Symposium, October 24–27, 2013, Curaçao. Dauphin Island, AL.American Academy of Underwater Sciences.Archived from the original on July 9, 2014.Retrieved2014-07-06.
{{cite journal}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^"WMO Climate Normals for 1991-2020: Monte Argentario"(CSV).ncei.noaa.gov.NOAA.Retrieved29 February2024.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: postscript (link) - ^Galletti, Pierluigi.Silloge di documenti vari scelti per lo più da archivi romani.Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Cod.Vat.Lat. 7930, fol. 142.
{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location (link)
External links
[edit]
- Official website(in Italian)
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