Monterongriffoli | The Past is a Foreign Country

Views from the Upper Village

The past is a foreign country

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Monterongriffoli: The south side of the Fattoria and Villa in a mid-20th century photograph

Monterongriffoli: Entrance to the Villa at the end of the main street of the village in a mid-20th century photograph

Monterongriffoli: The Church of San Lorenzo in a mid-20th century photograph. Note the hens in the main street of the village

Monterongriffoli: A panoramic view of the village in its landscape setting.

The above panoramic view of Monterongriffoli is one of a number of mid-20th century local views issued as postcards by F. Galassi and Ottavio Natalini.

The latter ran Monterongriffoli's only shop in the second half of the 20th century (until the premises were sold off for residential use), while F. Galassi was a photographic business active in Montalcino in the 1950s and possibly longer.

In 1958 F. Galassi placed an advertisement (right) in the Sistema Pratico monthly, exhorting "PHOTOGRAPHY ENTHUSIASTS" as follows: BECOME THE PUBLISHER OF YOUR MOST BEAUTIFUL PHOTOGRAPHS with even small print runs of postcards bearing your name, for your own satisfaction, or COMBINE BUSINESS WITH PLEASURE and make a handsome profit by supplying retailers with picture postcards taken from your finest panoramic shots.

PRINT RUNS AS LOW AS ONE HUNDRED COPIES READY IN JUST A FEW DAYS

F. Galassi photographic business, Montalcino.
Advertisement in the 'Sistema Pratico' monthly February 1958, Year 6, No. 2, p. 89

The Scuole Elementari in Monterongriffoli

Another Galassi/Natalini postcard, possibly 1960s, showing the village primary school before depopulation forced its closure. The building was subsequently converted to residential use.

The parked car at bottom left appears to be a Fiat 500 Topolino, which ceased production in 1955.

(Image courtesy of Cartoline del Ventennio: https://www.ebay.it/itm/123722102152?m2mOpen=1)

Monterongriffoli: The village primary school, probably 1960s