Ancient Times
The oldest mention of the existence of a settlement in the Ripa
d’Orcia area, sometimes called Ripa al Cotone, dates to 1271,
as Repetti states in his Dizionario geografico fisico storico della
Toscana. This was the year when “a minor judge under the orders
of the Podesta of Siena” was sent to the place. But F. Salimei
reports that the Salimbeni family “since the 12th century
must have owned, among others, the Chiarentana and Ripa d’Orcia
castles in Val d’Orcia” and that these were “entirely
their own work (of the Salimbeni family)”. Other sources cite
18th July 1213 as the date of the first mention of Ripa in documents,
whereas it is certain that between 1250 and 1258 it was sold by
the Consorteria dei Tinniosi – a political association of
related aristocratic families – to the Republic of Siena,
due to its strategic and military importance during the many bitter
struggles between city government and powerful families.
In 1274 the Ripa d’Orcia Castle, and a great deal of other property, was owned by the Salimbeni family who had taken over Val d’Orcia and ruled it as an actual State. The Ripa al Cotone di Valdorcia, though less valued than other property owned by the Consorteria, immediately took on such enormous strategic-military significance as to appear in the 1316 List of Property as “Roccham et fortilitiam de Ripa Cotone” owned by Niccolò and Stricca di Giovanni di Salimbene.
The Consorteria consolidated its position in Val d’Orcia after having obtained emperor Charles IV’s recognition of their rule, which had already been widely exercised de facto: in particular on 21st April 1355 Giovanni d’Agnolino obtained “recognition and confirmation of the fiefs of Ripa with the related territory and districts and with all the rights of jurisdiction transmissible to his legitimate heirs”.
While in 1410 the peace agreement between the Republic and the Salimbeni family stated that among other things Antonia de’ Salimbene should have Ripa al Cotone “with all the houses and property”, on 17th November 1417 it was no other than Niccolò di Cione di Sandro (also known as Cocco) who, through intervention of the Santa Maria della Scala Hospital, sold the fortress and territory of Ripa del Cotone and Bagno Vignoni “with towers, tenants, houses and fulling mill” to the Sienese for 5.000 gold florins
In 1274 the Ripa d’Orcia Castle, and a great deal of other property, was owned by the Salimbeni family who had taken over Val d’Orcia and ruled it as an actual State. The Ripa al Cotone di Valdorcia, though less valued than other property owned by the Consorteria, immediately took on such enormous strategic-military significance as to appear in the 1316 List of Property as “Roccham et fortilitiam de Ripa Cotone” owned by Niccolò and Stricca di Giovanni di Salimbene.
The Consorteria consolidated its position in Val d’Orcia after having obtained emperor Charles IV’s recognition of their rule, which had already been widely exercised de facto: in particular on 21st April 1355 Giovanni d’Agnolino obtained “recognition and confirmation of the fiefs of Ripa with the related territory and districts and with all the rights of jurisdiction transmissible to his legitimate heirs”.
While in 1410 the peace agreement between the Republic and the Salimbeni family stated that among other things Antonia de’ Salimbene should have Ripa al Cotone “with all the houses and property”, on 17th November 1417 it was no other than Niccolò di Cione di Sandro (also known as Cocco) who, through intervention of the Santa Maria della Scala Hospital, sold the fortress and territory of Ripa del Cotone and Bagno Vignoni “with towers, tenants, houses and fulling mill” to the Sienese for 5.000 gold florins