Toiano (Palaia)

Toiano is a frazione of the Italian comune of Palaia, in the province of Pisa, Tuscany.

Its origins go back to the early Middle Ages, and the village still has the layout of a castle, entered by a bridge that was originally a drawbridge.

First under Lucca, it passed to Pisa and in 1362 to Florence, thanks to the condottiero Rodolfo II da Varano, who after winning the siege took one of the fortress bells and sent it as a trophy to Florence, where it was hung in the gallery of Palazzo Vecchio.

In 1364 the village (since then called "Toiano Vecchio") was destroyed by the Florentines and the territory was returned to Pisa under the peace agreements between the two cities.

The people of Toiano rebuilt the village (since then called "Toiano Nuovo"), but in 1406 they surrendered to Florence again.

The village is not completely uninhabited, and once the regional authorities finish their work to stabilise the ground, now on its fourth and final phase, restoration should start again soon. It has been nominated to the FAI (Italian National Trust) census of "places of the heart" to be saved. There is also a deconsecrated 11th-century church, built of regular squared stones and dedicated to Saint John the Baptist.

It lies in very scenic country, between the Palaia and Volterra areas, between the Pisan hills and the sandy badlands that run into the balze (eroded cliffs) around Volterra.

The village is also sadly remembered for the murder of Elvira Orlandini, known as the "beautiful Elvira", a twenty-year-old found with her throat cut between Palaia and Villa Lena, a case that made headlines in 1947.

Text: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · translated from Italian