Barbanella is remembered in the
medieval era as marshy land located on the eastern bank of the former
Lake Prile, northwest of the city of Grosseto. The first mention of the locality is found in a document dated 8 May 1222, which refers to a "campum positum in contrada que dicitur piscina
Barbione". A portion of the land was reclaimed in the mid-13th century by the municipality of Grosseto, which was entrusted to local assignees and designated for cultivation. In 1828, Grand Duke
Leopold II of Tuscany initiated a major reclamation project for the marshland and constructed the diversion canal, making substantial improvements for the agricultural development of the Barbanella estate, which at the time belonged to brothers Antonio and Ubaldo Andreini. The estate was purchased in 1855 by Baron
Bettino Ricasoli, who invested numerous resources in agricultural experiments based on the British high farming model, employing a highly mechanized system that ultimately did not yield the expected results. Throughout the 20th century, due to Grosseto's population growth and the city's industrialization process, Barbanella was incorporated into the city, effectively becoming a neighbourhood. The
parish of St. Joseph was established in 1938. In the post-war period, public housing areas were developed north of Via Sauro between 1949 and 1955, and in the area between Viale Giusti, Viale Uranio, Via Cavalcanti, and Via Pascoli between 1955 and 1962. A second parish (St. Lucy) was established in 1960. ==Main sights==