Campi Bisenzio is situated in the plain between Florence, 6 km far, and Prato, and expands on a surface of 28 square-kms and has 41.098 inhabitants. The civic gonfalon represents a white rampant greyhound on a red background.
Campi Bisenzio is mentioned by Dante in the canto XXXII of the Inferno: La valle onde Bisenzio si dichina....., become the title of a published book by the Comune in 1994. The territory is crossed by the rivers Bisenzio (from here the name derives), Arno (in the south), Ombrone and Marina.
The first inhabitants of the place have been spotted in the ligurian people and this let to think that the area, originally, was linked to the florentine countryside and settled, in the second half of the first century before Christ, with the roman century. There is still the road disposition at grating and most part of the toponymy.
The agricultural village developed, in a linear way, along the river Bisenzio; the work of reclamation of the territories lasted lots of years and it requested considerable resources, and the Benedectine monks who have settled in lots of monasteries took part in it. For long time, especially after the disgregation of the roman century, the territories of Campi Bisenzio were subjected to repeated floodings. The ancient settlement had a first growth already during the High Middle Ages, the course of the Bisenzio river represented, in that years, the biggest problem: on the one hand it was an important economic source (with the mills and the fulling-mills) and on the other hand it was the origin of repeated floodings.
The expansion of Campi is dated the year 1000, with the rise of the first built-up areas like San Martino, Santa Maria, San Lorenzo, Capalle, San Piero a Ponti. The castle of Campi Bisenzio (Castrum Mazzinghorum), already from the eighth and ninth centuries, was a large estate of the ancient and powerful Mazzinghi family of German origin that in the twelfth century built the Rocca. According to some historical rebuildings Campi was homeland of the antagonism between Guelphs and Ghibellines because of an epilogue of a feast in honour of Mazzingo Tegrimi de' Mazzinghi finished in a fight between the Amidei and the Buondelmonti, and in a following quarrel between the Buondelmonti and the Uberti for the lack of a promise of marriage.
In the new subdivision of the Florentine territory happened in 1292, Campi entered the district of Santa Maria Novella (since 1170 it was part of the quarter of San Pancrazio, in the area of Porta Rossa). The castle of Campi Bisenzio had serious consequences from the fights between Guelphs and Ghibellines, with the frequent raids of these last ones that, after the battle of Montaperti in 1260, devastated Campi. Gradually the Mazzinghi family moved to more marginal areas, and they were replaced by others families like the Strozzi (that in 1295 bought most lands and then also the Rocca), and the Rucellai. In the first decades of 1300 Campi had lots of violent floodings.
In 1364, in the war between Florence and Pisa, Campi was devastated by the Pisan people. So the Florentine Republic decided for a great difensive intervention, and at the end of the fourteenth century Campi was walled. In 1427 the arrangement of the Florentine districts changed again and Campi entered the jurisdiction of the vicariate of Scarperia that had a population of ten thousand inhabitants. Half of these inhabitants were in Campi.
Since 1537, with Cosimo I of Tuscany, for Campi a new period started, after the distructions and the sacks of the previous decade. Lots of territories were reclaimed and the transport links were developed; a Magistracy assigned to the most important Florentine families, for the infrastructural works, streets, bridges, canals and works of reclamation was also constituted. At the general census of 1551 the village of Campi Bisenzio had 3128 inhabitants. The economy developed very quickly and powerfully, the main resources were the cultivation of wheat, mulberry and flax, while thriving activities linked to the straw, the plaits and the hats were establishing themselves; they were aimed at becoming, in the following centuries, the main economic activity of the area. Another important resource was the wool. Infact lots of dealers in wool of Campi were on the books of the Art of Wool of Florence.
In the seventeenth century lots of public works were carried out, like the cuttings at the Bisenzio and the works of reclamations; the economy has instead a strong depressive crisis, because of the floodings, the malaria and the serious plagues that struck down Campi.
The Eighteenth century represents in Tuscany the era of the reforms of Leopold that, also if they give rise to lots of interventions and works, they couldn't completely modify the conditions of the territory of Campi, compared to other ares. On 23rd May 1744 thanks to the union between Signa and Lecore, the modern Comune of Campi was born.
In 1807 the French domination started and it brought Campi into the Department of the Arno, chief town of the Cantone that included, besides Campi, also Calenzano and Signa, and it was subjected to the set of rules of the imperial officials. Then, with a Napoleonic decree, Campi remained alone and, Rocco Benini was appointed mayor ("maire")by the French people,and he remained in office for long time. The French occupation finished in 1814.
In 1846 Campi had almost 9000 inhabitants. In that period villas and houses were built, and the existing buildings were restored, like the castle. The economy, founded on the straw, plaits and hats, became soon particularly flourishing using especially female labour and taking away manpower from the agriculture that lost more and more importance. In 1860 at the plebiscite for the annexation Campi answers with a great adhesion, 2175 for on 2252 pollers.
In 1862 the Comune took the name of Campi Bisenzio.
In 1871, on the project of the architect of Campi Mariano Falcini commissioned by the Academy of the Perseveranti, the Teatro Dante was born; it was designed to become one of the "temple" of the lyric and the good music. On 20th july 1856 the first municipal council was settled and a rich period of interventions in public works and initiatives started. In 1880 the tramway was inaugurated at first at horsepowers, then at vapour of connection with Florence.
The twentieth century opened with the strike of the trecciaiole, a moment that represents a divide in the history of the Comune witnessing on the one hand the birth of the workers movement and on the other hand the happened economic transformation of the territory thanks to the industrialization. Also the local institutions have changes: in 1920, infact, the Socialists gain the Comune, that will rule for three years, until the rise of the Fascism.
Since this moment a period of strong economic crisis starts and it brings to a considerable migratory flow of people of Campi abroad. Some public works like the interventions on the Dante teathre and the Parish church of Santo Stefano belong to that period. Campi Bisenzio offers a strong contribute to the Resistance and the antifascist fight, and it is setting of battles and massacres.
In 1944 the partisan Lanciotto Ballerini, gold campaign medal died in Valibona. During the month of August in 1944 San Piero a Ponti was the setting of a cruel German reprisal, in which 13 citizens were killed(the present Via XIII Martiri remembers that fact); the German raids continued for all the withdrawal, finishing with the killing of the young girl Tosca Fiesoli.
The Liberation happened on 2nd September of 1944. The citizens of Campi actively took part in the change and the rebuilding of the Country: at the referendum of 1946 the Republic was chosen by 7324 pollers on 10403. Arnoldo Nesti was the mayor of the Liberation.
The postwar period links the economic and social future of Campi Bisenzio to Florence and, especially, to Prato with the productive decentralization of the textile. The local economic development, that is inserted in tha national context of the 60s, brings Campi Bisenzio to a great demographic expansion thanks to the emigration, particularly from the South of Italy and from the poorer areas of Tuscany.
During the 90s there is a new immigration, the Chinese one, particularly in the quarter of San Donnino - that works in the productive sector of the leather. Today the economy of Campi is characterized by companies that work in the advanced tertiary and in the mechanics, and the traditional artisan and commercial fabric that cohabits in total integration with firm of great dimensions and multinationals is very important.
As regards the town planning, for the social modifications from the postwar period onwards, today Campi Bisenzio is an only aggregate where there are lots of hamlets. During the 90s the authorities and the citizens have had a particular attention to the recovery and the improvement of the territory and its environmental, cultural and historical resources. In Campi Bisenzio about ten cultural associations work; they, in addition to promote initiatives and activities for all the year, with feasts and popolar appointments, dedicate themselves to the conservation and divulgation of the heritage and historical traditions. These years the municipal administration has recovered and started the restoration of important buildings like the Teatro Dante, Villa Montalvo, the Rocca Strozzi, and dozens of tabernacles on the territory that constitute a silent witness of the past time. Also the private citizens have contributed to the recovery of the history of Campi: the Misericordia of Campi Bisenzio with Villa Il Palagio, the parishes of Santa Maria and of San Donnino (Sant'Andrea in Brozzi) where important paintings like the Virgin Mary with her child by Domenico Ghirlandaio and the fifteenth-century crucified Christ by Giovanni di Francesco have been restored and put on public view.