Costalpino: Weekly Market and the History of San Galganello

Costalpino combines a weekly market with a rich medieval heritage. Every Thursday, a weekly market takes place in Costalpino, specifically in the parking lot on the S.S. 73 Ponente. For weekly planning, Thursday is therefore the fixed market day; at the same time, the market is located at a specific place within Costalpino. Anyone planning to visit the market thus has both a date and a location reference: Thursday and the S.S. 73 Ponente.

Historic Center and Traces of History

The medieval historic center of Costalpino was historically connected with the medieval monastery of San Galganello. In the historic center, there is a room carved into the tuff rock that may originally have been a tomb. The room’s possible original function remains open to interpretation. It is precisely this combination of the historic center, the monastery’s history, and the unresolved interpretation that makes the local history interesting for visitors who wish to explore history not only through grand buildings but also through individual traces.

A historic road connected the medieval historic center of Costalpino with the medieval monastery of San Galganello. In addition, a road historically crossed the Sorra stream to Sant’Andrea a Montecchio. The two routes thus include both San Galganello and the Sorra stream and Sant’Andrea a Montecchio.

San Galganello in Historical Context

In the Costalpino area, the former parish church of Santa Margherita had already existed since the 12th century. A hospice for pilgrims and travelers had existed near Costalpino since 1276 and later came to bear the name San Galganello. Santa Margherita therefore belongs to an earlier historical phase than the hospice. In 1292, Enrico Giliotti Incontri bequeathed the San Galganello hospice to the Cistercian monks of San Galgano. The bequest included a specific architectural and religious obligation: the monks were to build an adjoining oratory and hold religious services there. By 1319, the monks of San Galgano had already built a church and a palace-like building resembling a small monastery near San Galganello. From that time onward, the complex was generally known as San Galganello.

Combining Mobility and Interests

For practical orientation, there is Autolinee Toscane bus route 140, which operates along the Siena–Costafabbri–Costalpino–Toiano–Tegoia route. In this order, Costalpino lies between Costafabbri and Toiano; Siena and Tegoia are at the two outer points of the route. For an individual trip to Italy, the line therefore connects Costalpino with several places along the same route.

The provincial route Mediofondo Strade Bianche also runs along the SP73 Bis at Località Costalpino. The route’s road reference is expressly Località Costalpino.

Other Destinations in the Same Area

For further orientation, also discover Il Piano, Le Tolfe and San Rocco A Pilli.

For the overview of the wider area: Siena.