Pitigliano

Pitigliano, a town in Italy, province of Grosseto. Pop. (1901), 4416. It is the cathedral city of the bishopric named after the neighbouring town of Sovana, and possesses a 16thcentury cathedral and a church of the 11th-15th centuries, Pitigliano was originally a fief of the countship of Sovana, which in 1293 came by marriage into the possession of the Orsini. In 1410 Sovana, was taken by the Siennese, but by the terms of a peace concluded in 1417 the Orsini retained Pitigliano, Gentile Orsini (assassinated 1434) assuming the title of count of Pitigliano. The most famous of the line of counts was Niccolo III. (1442-1510), a celebrated condottiere. Under his successors Pitigliano became the scene of ceaseless family feuds culminating in assassinations. In 1562 the Medici of Florence seized part of their territories, and acquired the rest by exchange in 1580. The Orsini stronghold still stands in the town.