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History of Barberino di Mugello in Tuscany

The first historical mention of the Castle of Barberino goes back to 1074; the fortress that dominated the village was built in the 12th century and from here the family of Cattani da Barberino, vassals of the Florentinian bishops, ruled over the whole territory.

In 1313 the republic of Florence took over the castle and the village below, which must have been quite imposive, but in 1351 Barberino took over the army of the Viscontis, so that the agreements made with Florence were broken; Florence decided to destroy the castle and to fortify the houses of the below valley and from that time they became part of the Florentinian county.
The complete destruction of the castle made Barberino an easy prey for the attacks of italian and foreign armies, but, however, the fact that the village lay on an important communication route helped an increase in exchanges and trading during peace times. Towards the end of 1400, protected by the Medici family, Barberino was a flourishing and active centre.
Agriculture was the staple for the Economy of the area: orchards, grapevines, mullberry and olive trees on the hills; fodder, rye, barley and products from the Apennine wood, where cattle were bred. Also the manufacturing industry had developed, mostly for the carding of wool, flax spinning, clothing weaving, straw manufacturing, production of nap and felt hats. Since the second post war period Barberino has become an important industrial centre.
Barberino is the place of origin of the musician Marco Da Galliano, the poet Luigi Pulci and Bartolomeo Corsini and the professional cyclist Gastone Nencini.

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