Monument to the Ursinea Seed

The Monument to the Ursinea Seed sits in front of Palazzo Orsini in the main square. It’s a bear-lion hybrid bearing the Orsini family crest.

Built in 1490, this monument was designed to celebrate a marriage – that of the last Aldobrandeschi heir, Pitigliano’s original ruling family, to the son of the Orsini family, the town’s soon to be rulers. It marks both the joining of two families and the passage of power from one to another.

The lion, the Aldobrandeschi’s mascot, and the bear, the Orsini’s mascot, have been combined into one very strange looking travertine statue that is supposed to symbolise fertility and future generations, although the artist had never seen a lion nor a bear in real life, so the statue bears a striking resemblance to your average household dog.

Monumento alla Progenie Ursinea
Piazza Gregorio VII, 58017 Pitigliano GR

The Medici family in Pitigliano

The Medici of Florence rose to the Medici family in Pitiglianotere in the County of Pitigliano following the revolt of the population of 1562 during which Count Niccolò IV Orsini was expelled, and became owners of the county in all respects in 1604.

Once ownership of the county was obtained, the Medici asked for and obtained imperial protection over Pitigliano in 1608, thus protecting themselves from the expansionist aims of Philip III of Spain and the Papal State. Nevertheless, the Papal State always represented a threat to the county of Pitigliano and in 1643 there was a conflict with the pontiff’s troops, defeating them in the battle near the Casone.

Despite having supported the race for power, the population never had that social and economic improvement so desired by the Medici, the distance of the county from Florence and the feudal system still in vogue, led to a profound economic decline for Pitigliano, causing impoverishment forcing part of the population to emigrate.

From the point of view of public works, however, credit must be given to the Medici for having created the imposing Medici Aqueduct, for the water supply to the city of Pitigliano, the works were completed in 1639.