History of Pescille

Place-Names
Pescille, Pecille, Piscille, Pescille: are names found in ancient documents, all having a common derivation in the word PESCE (fish). There are two opinions regarding the name Pescille: one concerns the morphology of the area, rich in fossils, amongst which fish are also found. The other is based on a 1281 document, which mentions a pond on the outskirts San Donato ("infino a lagoscello del prete a Pescille"). In medieval times these fish-ponds were an important source of human nourishment, which would otherwise have been based only on meat or cereals.

The Etruscans
The area of Pescille was, like the rest of the territory of San Gimignano, inhabitated by the Etruscans: a small necropolis of the Hellenistic age (IV-I century BC) was found in Poggio Secco in Bucciano, at the eastern end of Pescille, in the early XX century. Some exhibits of black pottery typical of the Fabbrica di Malacena (Malacena Workshop), found amongst others in the countryside around Pescille, are exhibited in the Etruscan Museum in Via XX Settembre in San Gimignano. Recently a very interesting tomb, dating back to the V century BC, was found on the top of Poggio alle Corti; the contents of which are still being examined.
There is another archeological site in the woods near a place called Al Fornello, mentioned as fornellum de VIII bocche in the 1314 municipal statute: a proof of continuous inhabitation.

The Middle Ages
In the central years of the XIII century the district of San Gimignano was divided into "ville" (hamlets), usually the same size as rural parishes, with rules to obey and obligatory military service: in 1236 the men of Pescille were sent as soldiers to the Florentine allies.
Woods were very important in medieval times. Therefore in its constitution San Gimignano (1255 and later) had many rules which the population, including that of Pescille, had to obey, in order not to harm the forest in any way. Laws prohibited the burning of wood for furnaces or glass-works, but allowed it for domestic use. In 1254 the census counted 11 wood sellers in Pescille, wood at that time costing 8 'denaro' (pennies) a 'burden'.
Although the territory of Pescille was split up between modest farmers (in 1314 Duccio di Ugolino cultivated land here, in 1315 Cino di Zaccaria's land was estimated at 18 staiora, equivalent to about 2,5 acres), hospitals (the Spedale di Santa Fina possesed a farm here) and the Priest (owning various parcels of land and a pond), Pescille became the cradle of the Buonannj family. Its founder Buonanno, a land-owner, had many descendants, who lived in Pescille until the 1550s, even though many of them left for the inner city of San Gimignano in the late XIV century. From 1277 the Della Torre family, one of the most powerful in San Gimignano, also had possessions here. Whatever the case, the hamlet of Pescille was always quite sizeable in the middle ages, in fact counting 10 families in 1290, 17 in 1332 and, in 1350, 38 people distributed between 9 families.

The Church of Saints Bartolomeo and Domenico
As already noted, the Church was the vital centre of these hamlets; in Pescille there is mention of two different dedications, probably on a rotating basis. In 1220 the papal bull of Pope Honorius I registers: "eccl. S. Martini a Piscille", while in the Rationes Decimarum of the XIII and XIV centuries the church is dedicated to S. Bartholomei de Piscille and so it remained until the synodal visits of 1313 and 1441. S. Domenico was added in 1768, but already in 1781 the church was annexed to the church of Racciano and the building was used thereafter as a cellar.
The villa that is today Hotel Pescille was built by engineer Tito Farsi, most likely incorporating pre-existing buildings. Work started around the 1850s and terminated in 1884 , as can be seen from the engraving on the keystone above the entrance.
Tower-houses, like the remains of the one seen at the Pescille / Bucciano crossroads, were built for the safety of the landlord, usually near the road system.

The Ancient Road System
In this little research the importance of roads should not be overlooked. They were fundamental to the exchange not only of goods and materials but also, above all, of ideas.
The area of Pescille was, and still is, crossed by important trails that were a perfect means of contact between the people of different hamlets and castles and, sometimes, even of neighbouring cities and towns. They formed part of the web of paths and roads that were a necessary appendix to the "Via Francigena".
Firstly, the "Via Antica Maremmana", now downgraded to a local road, running along the hills of Poggio Secco and the higher Poggio alle Corti, which connected San Gimignano to Volterra, through the connection to the "Volterrana Sud", was the fastest way to reach Volterra's salt-works.
Secondly, "Strada di Pescille", the natural continuation of the "Via Vecchia di Castel Sangimignano", was the only main road existing in the early 1900s connecting San Gimignano to Poggibonsi. Formerly, this road turned towards Castelvecchio at San Donato. From the list of municipal roads in 1339 it is known that people living or having properties in Pescille, San Donato and Castelvecchio had to mantain the road at their own expense.