ITALY ~ Marmore Falls - Terni - Umbria ~

... Wonderful view of an amazing mighty "manmade" waterfall... the highest of its kind in Europe.... although the waterfalls are a human construction, it is a great demonstration of the forces of nature.... the 165 metre high waterfall cascades over three sections, with the first drop at 83 metres being the highest... built by the Romans more than 2000 years ago😲... there are views of the cascade at various vantage points... today the water flow is controlled by a hydroelectric dam and is only in full flow for a few hours at a time to satisfy the needs of tourists and the power company... at night-time, the show is even more breath-taking, since the waterfall is illuminated by a LED system which makes it a truly unique experience... it is also an ideal place for water sports like rafting and kayaking... Thanks so much Gian Luca and Raffaella for 5 fantastic postcards!!¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The waterfalls were created in 3rd century BC on the orders of Curio Dentato. The valley was a swamp and stagnant, to fix the problem Dentato created a canal called Cava Curiana, this had the water from the River Velino cascade over the cliff into the River Nera below.

The waterfalls were altered and restored with canals for better water flow between the 15th and 18thC with the current look being created in the 18thC.

The Marmore Falls take their name from the calcium carbonate salts present in the rocks, which make them very similar to marble.

Stamp:

Matera - European Capital of Culture
(Issued 04-03-2019)

ITALY ~ Il Palio - Sienna - UNESCO ~

... Great view of the unique Il Palio horse race... the most famous Tuscany's horse race and one of Italy's most spectacular and best known festivals... this colorful horse event has been taking place in this stunning town since medieval times, twice a year... 2nd July to honour the Madonna of Provenzano and 16th August to honour the Virgin Mary’s Assumption... locals spend most of the year planning for it... it is fast and dangerous and the duration is no longer than 90 seconds... the first horse to reach the end line wins with or without the jockey... it is an important event for locals, both in culture and in tourism... the Palio can see crowds upwards of 40.000... Thanks a lot Gian Luca and Raffaella!❁◕ ‿ ◕❁ 

ⒸRotalSele Sienna is located in the central part of Tuscany, in the middle of a vast hilly landscape between the Arbia river valley, the Merse valley, the Elsa valley, the Chianti hills, the Montagnola Senese, the Crete Senesi and is the capital of the province of Siena.

Ten of Sienna’s 17 town districts, or contrade, compete for the coveted palio, a silk banner. Each has its own traditions, symbol and colours, as well as its own church and palio museum.The Corteo Storico is a long-running tradition that predates the Palio and is part of the colorful pageantry that happens in the build-up to the race.

The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site since 1995.

Stamp:

Italian Squares
(Issued 02-07-2016)

ITALY ~ Assisi - UNESCO ~

... Beautiful views of an exceptionally well-preserved medieval town... located on the rolling hills of Umbria... it was already a sacred place in Roman times but has been associated with Saint Francis since the 13thC... Assisi was his birthplace, and he founded the Franciscan religious order here in 1208.... a tranquil picturesque place dominated by the Franciscan Order and its many churches, monasteries, and other structures, among them the huge Basilica of San Francesco on the edge of town...  today, it is the second most important of Italy's pilgrimage sites after Rome... the pilgrims and most of the tourists come to Assisi for its religious monuments.... nuns and monks are a common sight on the streets... there are also plenty of crafts, souvenir, and local specialty shops... Thanks a lot Gian Luca and Raffaella! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Photo: Giorgio Filippini  Assisi is a medieval town in Umbria town on the western flank of Monte Subasio. It is an important place because of its art, its architecture and its history.

Assisi's history is thought to have begun in 1.000 BC, when it is believed to have first grown up as an Umbrian settlement. As a Roman colony, Assisi was known as Asisium. In the early 1500s, Assisi did once again come under the control of the Papacy. in 1860, the town became part of the newly created Kingdom of Italy.

In 1997, Assisi was struck by violent earthquakes. Its famous Basilica di San Francesco was damaged, while several frescoes in the basilica's vault were destroyed. Thanks to some rather rapid conservation work, it has largely been returned to its former glory, reopening to the public just two years after the event.

 Assisi, the Basilica of San Francesco and Other Franciscan Sites was made into a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the year 2000. The designated area also includes four Franciscan sites outside central Assisi: Le Carceri, San Damiano, Rivotorto and Santa Maria degli Angeli.

Stamp:

Matera - European Capital of Culture
(Issued 04-03-2019)

ITALY ~ Industrial city - Ivrea - UNESCO ~

... Ivrea lies in the foothills of the Alps... a great new UNESCO site... the local authorities have turned the former company town into an Open Air Museum... in the 80's Olivetti was the second largest manufacturer of PCs worldwide... walking across town you see multiple factories, office buildings, and residential buildings.... most of the nominated buildings are still in private use... it certainly is recommendable to modern architecture lovers... the shape of the city and the urban buildings were designed by some of the best known Italian architects and planners of that period...Thanks a lot Paola!【ツ】

The history of the city Ivrea (located in the Piedmont region) and founded in 1908 by Camillo Olivetti, is an industrial and social-cultural project of the 20thC and developed in the period of the '30s and' 60s under the direction of Adriano Olivetti, period in which the Olivetti company produced typewriters, mechanical calculators and computers.

Especially Adriano Olivetti in the 1930s developed an interest in architecture, as well as urban and community planning. This resulted in a housing plan for workers and social services.

The industrial city of Ivrea  was added to UNESCO World Heritage List in 2018.

Stamps:

The 400th Anniversary of the Basilica della Ghiara
(Issued 11-05-2019)

ITALY ~ Este Castle - Ferrara - UNESCO ~

... Beautiful view of an impressive medieval very well preserved castle...  situated in the heart of the historic center of Ferrara... the only one in the region which is bordered by a moat still filled with water.. with some amazing frescoes on the ceilings... a scary dungeon... it also has two of working drawbridges... a large courtyard with a few piles of medieval stone balls presumably for cannons or catapults... two wells... and great panoramic view from the tower... there’s a nice cafe and a museum... the castle and Lions’ Tower, are a must-see for Ferrara visitors... Thanks a lot Alessandro!!❁◕ ‿ ◕❁

Ferrara is situated in northeastern Emilia-Romagna region, northern Italy,  in the middle of the Po Valley.

The Castello Estense (‘Este castle’) or castello di San Michele (‘St. Michael's castle’) is a moated medieval castle.  A revolt by citizens of Ferrara in 1385 struck enough fear in the ruling Este duke that he constructed this massive brick fortress to protect himself and his family.  It consists of a large block with four corner towers. Constructed primarily for defensive purposes towards the end of the 14thC, it later became the archetypal Italian Renaissance palace.

Ferrara, City of the Renaissance, and its Po Delta is a cultural UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995.



Stamp:

 Italian Squares
(Issued 02-07-2016)

ITALY ~ Gran Paradiso National Park - Cogne - Aoste Valley ~

... Beautiful views of Italy's oldest and largest National Park... a land of magnificent landscape with snow-covered peaks, glacial cirques, alpine lakes, waterfalls and traditional villages...  this park offers the perfect alpine environment for trekking and hiking and many different valleys to explore... with rich wildlife... from here, ibex could survive and were re-introduced into all of the Alps... today, you can easily come across ibex, chamois, marmots and eagles... Thanks a lot Gian Luca & Raffaella!! (✿ ♥‿♥)

Gran Paradiso National Park covers an area of 70,000 hectares and is located in northern Italy, between Aosta Valley and Piedmont region, at the border with France. A high mountainous area, between the 800m at the bottom of the valley and the 4,061m of mount Gran Paradiso.

In 1920, King Vittorio Emanuele III gave to the Italian government the 2,100 hectares of the hunting reserve in order to create a national park. Two years later, on Dec. 3, Gran Paradiso National Park was established.

Cogne (1534m) is a tiny village in the middle of the mountains. Cogne preserved its intimacy and spirit through the years. The locals still work mainly in pasturing and cultivation even though tourism certainly brought an important income to the valley.

Stamp:

Italian Squares
(Issued 02-07-2016)

ITALY ~ Positano - Amalfi Coast - UNESCO ~

... A spectacular view... large waves crashing against shore and houses during a storm... the Amalfi Coast is a stunning coastline with steep cliffs that drop right into the Mediterranean sea creating a dramatic harmony of land, sea and sky... known for its production of limoncello liqueur as the area is a cultivator of lemons... the beauty of the landscape, have contributed to make it famous world-wide... a favourite with writers and poets... Thanks a lot Giulio!【ツ】

The Amalfi Coast is a stretch of coastline on the northern coast of the Salerno Gulf on the Tyrrhenian Sea, located in the Province of Salerno of southern Italy. The Amalfi Coast is  made up of 13 villages, the most popular among them is Positano.

In 1997, the Amalfi Coast was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site,

Stamps:

The 600th Anniversary of the Death of Francesco Petraca
(Issued 19-07-1974)

EUROPA Stamps - Sculptures
(Issued 29-04-1974)

ITALY ~ Casentinesi Forests National Park - UNESCO ~

... Great views of a new National Park and UNESCO site...  it is one of the largest forest areas in Europe, with a hiking network of 650 km... extraordinary rich in flora and fauna... it can be visited either on foot, by bike or on horseback... the territory also has many towns and villages rich in history and architectural heritage... Sasso Fratino, located in the NP  is one of the 10 oldest deciduous forests throughout the Northern Hemisphere... Thanks a lot Sini! (✿ ♥‿♥)

Photo: Franco Borgogni
Casentinesi Forests National Park was established in 1993 and covers 36,426ha placed between Tuscany and Emilia Romagna and stretches from Mount Falterona to the Mandrioli pass.

The park has the most important population of the Apennine wolf, as well as the exceptional presence of five species of ungulates (mammals with hooves): wild boar, roe deer, fallow deer, common deer, and mouflon (mountain sheep).

The Italian Ancient Beech forests protected by UNESCO fall within the context of the transnational environmental site of the "Primeval forests of the Carpathian beech and other parts of Europe".

Stamp:

Italian Squares
(Issued 02-07-2016)

ITALY ~ Sword in Stone - Chapel of Montesiepi ~

... Beautiful small round Gothic chapel view with Italy's own "Sword in stone"... a place of magic and myth that originated in the Middle Ages... all the legends about this sword are very impressive... as most of us I only knew about the King Arthur’s one... but the only existing original sword in the stone, in the whole world can be seen in Italy... when the noble knight Galgano Guidotti decided to dedicate his life to God, he sticked his sword into this rock to symbolize peace and redemption...  now it was no longer a weapon, but rather, the symbol of the Cross...  and nobody has pulled it out yet... once more a fantastic story discovered thanks to postcard collecting😊...
Thanks a lot Gian Luca and Raffaella!!(✿ ♥‿♥)→  https://73postcards73.blogspot.com/

Ⓒ Photo: Luciano Mugnaini
This Tuscany’s abbey of Saint Galgano was built in a Gothic Italian style between the towns of Monticiano and Chiusdino in the province of Siena and was built  between 1218 and 1268.

Near the abbey there’s the Montesiepi Chapel with the sword of the rock of San Galgano.The chapel to the left of the altar houses frescoes by Ambrogio Lorenzetti, a major painter of the Senese school of the 14thC.

To mark the change from his past life, Galgano thrust his sword into a rock (1180) promising to God he would never again raise his weapon against anyone. The news of the miracle of the ‘Sword in the Stone’ quickly spread around Siena, and pilgrims soon began to flock to Montesiepi to ask Galgano to perform other miracles (at least 18 have been documented).

Recent studies appeared to have confirmed that the sword dates indeed to the late 1100s–early 1200s. To protect it from theft, the sword is now protected by a case.

Stamp:

Italian Squares
(Issued 02-07-2016)

ITALY ~ Venice - UNESCO ~

... Postcard nr2 is a pretty view of Venice... the floating City... one of the most romantic and visited places in the world... a city packed with historical canals, gondolas, striking architecture, and beautiful bridges... always nice to get a postcard showing Venice... it brings back such lovely memories of the great time I had there❤️...  I visited it a loooong time ago on a "educational" ツschool trip... but also a city struggling under the strain of massive tourist numbers, but even with all that a must-see... with matching Venice stamp and beautiful special "Horses of San Marco" postmark... Thanks so much dear Glenn for thinking of me (once more) while travelling!! (✿◠‿◠)

The city of Venice  is built on 117 small islands in the Venetian Lagoon, in north-east Italy. The islands are separated by canals and linked by many small bridges.

The Doge's Palace is a palace built in Venetian Gothic style and was the residence of the Doge of Venice, the supreme authority of the former Republic of Venice and became a museum in 1923. The Palace is composed of layers of building elements and ornamentation, from its 14th and 15thC original foundations to the significant Renaissance and opulent Mannerist adjunctions.

The “Venice and its Lagoon” site was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987.

Stamps:

Schools and Universities (Military Navy School)
(Issued 04-05-2002)

Sports - 40th Anniversary of Italy's Victory in the Davis Cup
(Issued 06-12-2016)

ITALY ~ Ancona ~

... Next two lovely postcards are from "La Bella Italia"... this beautiful city is a historic port situated on top of a cliff and has some fantastic squares... historical monuments and museums... plus a host of fine restaurants and bars... a favourite spot on the cruise trail.... from its port every year, about one million travelers sail to Greece and Croatia... with nice view of The Arch of Trajan  a reference point for sailors or centuries... today it dominates the harbour entrance and it is a shining testimony of the thousand-year history of Ancona...  Big Thanks Glenn!! (✿ ♥‿♥)

Photo: Otello
The city of Ancona was founded by settlers from Syracuse (Greece) around 380 BC and like much of the region has been destroyed, rebuilt, and resettled countless times through the centuries. The city is the capital of the Province of Ancona on the eastern coast of Italy facing the Adriatic Sea.

The name of the town means its geographical position: Αγκων, in Greek means “elbow”, and this is what the Greek people called it when they settled in the area.

The Arch of Trajan is a Roman work erected in 116 AD in honour of the emperor who enlarged the port of Ancona at his own expenses and who built the pier for the protection of the city. It is  made from Turkish Marble and the arch is 18.5m high and the archway is 3m wide.

Stamp:

Red Coral of Alghero
(Issued 14-05-2016)

ITALY ~ Circeo National park ~

... Plenty of lovely typical views of another great Italian National Park... one of the smallest of the 24 national parks in the country (and my nr 8ツ)... a great variety of unique landscapes in a very small place... there is a salted lake (Lago di Paola), a long wide sand beach with dunes, natural swimming pools, cliffs, mountain ( Monte Circeo) and a forest called Selva di Terracina.....a wonderful place for nature lovers... Thanks so much dear Gian Luca and Raffaella!! (✿ ♥‿♥)

Circeo National Park includes about 8.300 hectares of land and  was established in 1934. The park  occupies a strip of coastal land from Anzio to Terracina, including also a sector of forest in the mainland of San Felice Circeo, and some of the Pontine Islands. Also Mount Circeo is today is part of it.

Cape Circeo is connected with the legend of Circe. It got its name from the mythological sorceress "Circe", who captured Ulysses on his return from the Trojan War, as described in Homer's Odyssey.

The area where Monte Circeo is located has been inhabited since prehistoric times. It was back in 1939 when an archaeologist who was studying the Guattari Cave came across a skull which belonged to a Neanderthal, it  can be seen in a museum located in San Felice Circeo.

Stamp:

EUROPA Stamps - Palaces and Castles
(Issued 09-05-2017)

Italy ~ Val Grande National Park - UNESCO ~

... Great Italian National Park nr6ツ... the largest wilderness area in the country... the perfect place to hike and enjoy the steep deep valleys, crystal-clear waters in gorges and most spectacular views... also an outdoor museum of the ancient civilization of the Alps.... with shepherd huts and shelters for Italian partisans fighting the Nazis during the WWII... a place for real nature lovers... not yet overrun by tourists... Thanks a lot Gian Luca & Raffaella!! (✿ ♥‿♥) → World Postcards

Val Grande National Park is a protected area located in Piedmont, in the north of Italy, at the border with Switzerland. It is most notable for landscapes of the High Alps and has an area of more than 15.000 ha near the Maggiore Lake. Most the park is mountainous with peaks of over 3000m and the  majority of the area is forested.

The Val Grande National Park was established in 1992 and in 1998 the area of the park was extended.
Since 2013, the National Park  along with that of the Val Sesia - has become part of the World Network of Geoparks protected by UNESCO.

Stamp:

 EUROPA Stamps - Palaces and Castles
(Issued 09-05-2017)

ITALY ~ Salamandra gigliolii - Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park ~

... Already my second great new National Park of 2018ツ... one of the largest protected areas in Europe... with lovely view of the Italian fire salamander... possibly the best-known salamander species in Europe... Abruzzo is one of the regions least known to foreign visitors... many outdoor activities are possible within the park including hiking, horse riding, mountain biking, canoeing, bird watching and skiing... it offers some of the most breathtaking scenery in all of Italy... Thanks a lot dear  Gian Luca & Raffaella!!   (✿ ♥‿♥)

Photo: Michele Panuccio
The Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park is located mostly in Abruzzo in the middle of Appennini and consists of three mountain groups: Gran Sasso d'Italia chain, Laga massif, and Gemelli Mountains. Established in 1991 and  has an area of 2,014 square km (778 sq mi).

The Park has the highest peak of the Apennines, Corno Grande (2,912 m.) On this chain there is the one and only glacier of the Apennines, the so-called Calderone, which is also the southernmost glacier in Europe.

Many species of wildlife live there,  including rare animals such as the Abruzzo chamois, wolves, Marsican brown bear, roe deer, wildcats, foxes, wild boars and squirrels. Notable birds include the golden eagle, the white-backed woodpecker, the goshawk, the common buzzard and the peregrine falcon.

The fire salamander is black with yellow spots or stripes to a varying degree; some specimens can be nearly completely black while on others the yellow is dominant. Fire salamanders can have a very long lifespan; one specimen lived for more than 50 years in Museum Koenig, a German natural history museum.

Stamp:

The 150th Anniversary of the Expedition of the Thousand
(Issued 05-05-2010)

Italy ~ Majella National Park - Abruzzo ~

... Great Abruzzo region National Park nr2... a green lung in the heart of Italy, near to Rome... known for its dramatic mountain scenery... imposing canyons... diverse landscapes and untouched nature... there are  about 500 km of hiking trails through the mountains and more than 100 caves... Thank so much dear Gian Luca & Raffaella!!(✿ ♥‿♥)

The Rava del Ferro ("rava" is a local place where steep rocky canals are indicated).

Majella National Park was established in 1991 and it extends over an area of ​​about 74.000ha in the region Abruzzo. It is centered on the Majella massif, whose highest peak is Monte Amaro (2,793 m). This mountain is considered by the Abruzzi as the mother mountain, the most inaccessible and wildest area of ​​the Central Apennine.

The most representative animal of the Majella territories is the Apennine wolf which is also present in the park's logo and it relies on a population of 70 estimated wolves distributed in eleven packs across the main mountain ranges of the protected area.

Stamp:

Music Day
(24-10-2009)

ITALY ~ Abruzzo National Park ~

... Wonderful surprise... a fantastic new Italian National Park thanks to postcard friends Gian Luca and Raffaella♥... Italy’s second-oldest national park is also one of the most mountainous areas rich in wildlife and biodiversity in the Apennines... the sighting of wild animals in the Park is a unique event...  thanks to its long history, it receives more visitors than other parks... around two million annually... Big Thanks once more Gian Luca&Raffaella !! (✿ ♥‿♥)

The National Park Abruzzo was established in 1923 and is located in the heart of the central Apennines between the Abruzzi, Lazio and Molise on an area of (±) 440 km2.

The scenery is characterized by mountain chains (with peaks that rise to over 2000 m altitude), karst phenomena, rivers (including the Sangro River), streams and filled with narrow gorges and wide valleys. Also home to a number of picturesque villages.

More than 60 species of mammals, 300 birds and 40 species of reptiles, not to mention the wide variety of insects and invertebrates live in the park. The symbol of the Park is the Marsican Brown Bear, which represented, until recently, an endangered species. At present, this danger seems to have been averted, thanks to the punctual protection activity of the Park Board.

Stamps:

Poste Italiane - Self Adhesive
(Issued 01-07-2010)

Italian Squares
(Issued 02-07-2016)

ITALY ~ Giglio Island - Arcipelago Toscano National Park ~

... Great map card showing a small jewel in the Mediterranean sea... the place for a perfect sun vacation with the most beautiful beaches... unfortunately also known for the sinking of the Costa Concordia cruise ship in 2012... Arcipelago Toscano National Park is the largest marine Park in Europe and Giglio is the second largest island of this NP... famous for its clear water rich in marine life and much beloved by scuba divers... Thanks a lot dear Gian Luca & Raffaella for this wonderful new NP of your country!!(✿ ♥‿♥) → My UNESCO WHS

Isola del Giglio is an Italian island situated in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the coast of Tuscany. The island is one of seven that form the Tuscan Archipelago, lying within the Arcipelago Toscano National Park. (Elba, Isola del Giglio, Capraia, Montecristo, Pianosa, Giannutri, Gorgona, and some of the minor islands and rock outcrops.)

This Italian national park protects 56,776 hectares (140,300 acres) of sea and 17,887 hectares (44,200 acres) of island (land) habitats.The highest point in the park is Mount Capanne, at 1,019 metres (3,343 ft) in elevation, on the island of Elba.

Stamp: 

Italian Squares
(Issued 02-07-2016)

ITALY ~ Fortified city of Peschiera del Garda - UNESCO ~

... Great aerial view of one of Italy's newest UNESCO sites... with 53, the country with the most UNESCO sites in the world... this small lake town still carries significant traces of its military past as an important defense post... completely enclosed in high Venetian walls... an architectural jewel... Thanks a lot Dustin!! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Peschiera is a former garrison town situated on the South East corner of Lake Garda on the river Mincio in the province of Verona, in Veneto.

The Rocca is a fortress built by the Scaliger family on Roman foundation walls and subsequently enlarged by the Venetians in the 16th century, before being further expanded by Napoleon’s forces, was eventually used as a military base by the Austrians.

The Fortified city of Peschiera del Garda is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site "Venetian Defense Works between the 16th and 17th Century: State of the Earth - State of the Western Sea", an extraordinary collection of the most representative defensive systems made by the Republic of Venice, designed after the discovery of gunpowder.

These defense systems, which span more than 1,000 kilometers between Lombardy and the eastern Adriatic Coast, protected Venice from other European powers as well as sea routes and ports in the Adriatic Sea.

Stamp:

 EUROPA Stamps - Palaces and Castles
(09-05-2017)

ITALY ~ Trulli - Puglia - UNESCO ~

... Lovely, bit strange picturesque view... this town located in the hills of the province of Bari, in Puglia, is famous for its small distinctive mortarless round stone houses with conical roofs structures known as "Trulli".... ancient architectural wonders....they are still the traditional residences of the town... but many of them have been converted into guesthouses... to me they look look like little homes for elves ツ... it is also one of the least “touristy” regions of Italy... Thanks a lot Gian Luca!!✿◕ ‿ ◕✿  ➜ (MY UNESCO WHS)

Alberobello ( literally "beautiful tree") is a small town  in the region of Puglia in southern Italy.  It has about 10,700 inhabitants and is famous for its unique architectural style of house called the trulli. You see them throughout the Itria Valley in Puglia, but the greatest concentration is in Alberobello.

The trulli  are dry mortarless stone huts built with conical tops. The white houses with conical roofs were built either as temporary shelters and storehouses or as permanent homes for the small groups of agricultural workers living in the town. The community thrived in the latter part of the 19th century because of its wine growing industry. The name cames for the latin word “Turris” and “Trulla” or from the Greek Byzantine word “Torullos” meaning dome.

Alberobello’s trulli became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.

Stamp:

Italian Squares
(Issued 02-07-2016)

ITALY ~ Pienza - Val d'Orcia - UNESCO ~

...Many lovely views of a small idyllic town in Tuscany...known as the "ideal city of the Renaissance"...and famous for  the best pecorino cheese in Italy.... Thanks once more Gian Luca and Raffaella !! (ˆ⌣ˆ)

Photo: Stefano Caporali
Pienza is a town and commune in the province of Siena, in the Val d'Orcia in Tuscany (central Italy), between the towns of Montepulciano and Montalcino.

Pienza was realized by the request of Pope Pius II (Enea Silvio Piccolomini), from whom the city’s name derives. Upon being named Pope in 1458, Pius began to dream up a new design for his native town, and entrusted his dream with Bernardo di Matteo Gambardelli, an apprentice of the famous architect and scientist Leon Battista Alberti. Construction on the city (between 1458 and 1462), comprised the ancient borgo of Corsignano; legend has it that a soldier from Sillano, called Corsinio, founded the original town.

In 1996, UNESCO declared the town a World Heritage Site, and in 2004 the entire valley, the Val d'Orcia, was included on the list of UNESCO's World Cultural Landscapes.

Stamp:

 Europa 2016 Ecology in Europe -Think Green celebrating Europa stamps 60th anniversary - 1956-2016
 (Issued 09-05-2016)