This fortified castle in Bibbiano dates back to the year 850
This castle was the property of the Longobard Count Guinigi di Reghinari at the time of Ludovico II. The name ‘Bibbiano’ comes from ‘Bibbio’ (in Latin ‘bibianum’), an aquatic bird similar to duck which used to inhabit this area.
The castle belonged to the Guiglieschis when, in 1051, Emperor Arrigo III gave it over to the protection of the Abbey of Sant’Antimo. 
Bibbiano then passed into the hands of the Cacciacontis who, in 1197, gave it to the Republic of Siena. It was at this time that the castle was re-fortified. Further restructuring took place in 1338 and in 1400.
Despite being used both as a residence and as a fort, Bibbiano today still has the appearance of a classic medieval castle. Its quadrilateral walls are surrounded by a ditch, the main entrance has a drawbridge and two corner towers form part of the double defensive walls. An earthquake destroyed the top part of the central building in 1909 and was subsequently rebuilt.

https://www.tuscany-charming.it

Bibbiano Castle

Account

by category

Login

Name

by region

Title

Name in English

Il castello di Cosona è un complesso architettonico fortificato situato nell'omonima località rurale del territorio comunale di Pienza lungo la Strada Provinciale 71.
Storia
Il complesso venne costruito nel corso del Quattrocento divenendo una fattoria fortificata. Numerosi sono stati i passaggi di proprietà nel corso del tempo.

In epoca ottocentesca venne costruito il fabbrico a pianta rettangolare che venne adibito a granaio.

Agli inizi del Novecento l'intero complesso venne restaurato su progetto dell'architetto senese Arturo Viligiardi; durante gli interventi di ristrutturazione, nel 1913 venne ricavata una cappella all'interno di un preesistente corpo di fabbrica originariamente adibito ad altri usi agricoli.

Descrizione
Il complesso architettonico fortificato è costituito da vari corpi di fabbrica addossati tra loro che si articolano su 15 lati totali. Tra essi spicca la torre a sezione quadrata che si eleva sul fronte occidentale del complesso architettonico.

Molto caratteristico è il pozzo-cisterna, costruito nel 1659 e restaurato nel 1913, che veniva utilizzato per la raccolta dell'acqua.

Il granaio di epoca ottocentesca si caratterizza per la presenza di due stemmi gentilizi della famiglia Forteguerri che fece realizzare l'opera.

Il castello di Cosona è al centro dell'omonima azienda agricola, e di una struttura ricettiva-agrituristica dotata di sette appartamenti indipendenti, abitati fino agli anni Settanta da alcune famiglie mezzadrili.

Castello di Cosona

Palazzo Massaini can be found just over 4 kilometres from Pienza, spreading over the rolling hills of the Val d’Orcia Artistic, Natural and Cultural Park, a UNESCO world heritage site since 2004 – a prime location for its beauty, history and culture. It boasts an extraordinary view that seems frozen in time. Here the shapes and colours of nature change with the seasons, suggestive of the harmony shown in the Sienese School of painting. 

HISTORY
The origins of Palazzo Massaini date to around 1200 when it was built by Bibbiano Cacciaconti, a member of the aristocratic Asciano family.
In the 16th century, the building was converted into a “villa” and a wing was added, as well as an elegant little loggia in the courtyard and understated cornices to the gates.

Amongst the many owners it would have over time, we have one Pope – Enea Silvio Piccolomini (1405-1464), who became Pope Pius II in 1458. The coats of arms of the Piccolomini family are evident inside the Castle, especially the so-called “light blue cross with the moons of God”.

Today the architectural complex features an Italian garden which spreads to the east of the villa.

https://www.palazzomassaini.com

Palazzo Massaini

History
The ancient Castello di Spedaletto rises in the heart of the Val d'Orcia, a UNESCO world heritage site, along the road from Pienza to Bagno Vignoni. In the Middle Ages the area was of particular importance, as it was linked to the Via Franchigena, the main communication route that crossed Europe for its entire length.

The construction of Spedaletto Castle was commissioned by Ugolino da Rocchione as a fortified welcome place for the thousands of travelers and pilgrims going to Rome: since 1263 the complex was managed by the Hospital of Santa Maria della Scala of Siena and among its guests boasted famous people such as Charles II of Anjou and Pope Pius II who also issued a bull in favor of the church of Spedaletto.

The castle has a square plan with towers at each corner and appears to protrude with stone corbels and crenellation along the entire perimeter, a splendid fortified access gate with a powerful keep in its defense. The remakes of the late fifteenth century are evident, such as the slight slippage of most of the wall circuit and the loopholes for firearms in several places. In the first courtyard we find immediately left of the door the Gothic church of the hospital with a splendid facade enriched by a rose window and a sestiacuto portal, on the right a second access door, embellished with stone crests, leads into a second courtyard, heart of the fortification, from which you access the keep and the walkway.

During the fifteenth century restoration work was carried out that modified the original medieval appearance, giving it the features of a "gancia" (fortified farm), while it dates back to the nineteenth century the addition of a building with warehouse functions.

Restructured in full respect of its centuries-old origins, it now hosts a farmhouse which is flanked by the mill with millstones where the organic cereals of the estate are processed and from which the "pici", a typical dish from Val d'Orcia, are produced. bread and other types of pasta available to guests.

The tourist service includes two apartments and double rooms with bathroom, furnished with antiques typical of the Sienese countryside. The accommodations are located in the old barn and have TV with satellite channels, Wi-Fi and a fan. Every day begins with a breakfast of sweets, cold meats, hot drinks and homemade products.

https://www.histouring.com

Castello di Spedaletto

Il castello del Poggiarello di Stigliano è una fortificazione sviluppata tra il XII e il XV secolo, che sorge su di un'antica necropoli etrusca nel territorio del comune di Sovicille, in provincia di Siena.

Storia
La parte più antica è costituita da due case-torri che costituivano una fattoria fortificata di proprietà della famiglia Pecci, mercanti senesi che investirono le loro finanze su una struttura posta lungo un'importante via d'accesso al fiume Merse, lungo il quale si erano sviluppate attività senesi di metallurgia e manifattura.

Poggiarello di stigliano, siena - panoramio.jpg
Le abitazioni circostanti affrontarono un periodo di insicurezza e continua manutenzione già dalla metà del XIII secolo, quando incursioni fiorentine, teutoniche, pisane e di altre popolazioni condussero il castello a costituirsi, all'inizio del Quattrocento, in una vera e propria fortezza; essa era di strategica importanza per la Repubblica di Siena, la quale la annotò nell'elenco dei fortilizi privati, proprietà degli aderenti alla corporazione del Governo dei Nove, attinente alla classe imprenditoriale senese.

Nel XVI secolo, alla fine della Guerra di Siena, un ramo della famiglia Piccolomini si stabilì in questo castello. Dopo la peste del 1630, la popolazione venne decimata: la fortezza smise di assumere un ruolo difensivo e venne frammentata in piccoli poderi ad uso agricolo. Infine, nel XIX secolo, al fine di rendere più efficiente l'agricoltura toscana, la fattoria del Poggiarello di Stigliano venne divisa tra le proprietà delle fattorie limitrofe, per essere oggi ricostituita come un bene protetto sotto la Soprintendenza ai Beni Architettonici della Toscana.

Castello del Poggiarello di Stigliano

This castle was built in the 14th century. To defend the city. When, in 1555, the city was taken by the Medici, it became a country residence, but it undergoes practically no transformation, which makes its interest. With its 4 towers of identical angles, placed on a height, isolated among olive trees, cypresses and other trees, it still has an impressive appearance. Its brick construction and its position on a steep escarpment still reinforce this pace, yet softened by the appearance of the ditch, now occupied by a garden. The noble floor and top of the towers are decorated by a pretty frieze formed of small arches, and bricks oblique create a beautiful effect of shadows. The windows are all identical, and are surmounted by a lowered arch, and there are still fine murderers; The holes used to fix the scaffolds dot the facade. A gate under a pointed arch makes it possible to enter the castle, passing under a place from which the besieged threw all kinds of disagreeable things on the assailants: molten lead, stones, inflammable or boiling liquids.

https://www.monument-tracker.com

Castello delle Quattro torra

Castello di Potentino History
The Castle of the Potentino is located outside Seggiano. The castle was built around the year one thousand as an ancient possession of the bishops of Chiusi, whose diocese extended, at the time, to the whole area of ​​Mount Amiata. In the eleventh century there is the attestation that belonged to the Visconti di Campiglia. In the thirteenth century it came under Sienese control and belonged to the Bonsignori, Tolomei, Salimbeni and Bindi families. Later, its importance as a boundary fortress was declined, it was transformed into an elegant holiday resort and it was bought first by the Mignenellis and then by the Venturi family. Enrico Venturi, by testamentary disposition, donated it to the Hospital of Santa Maria della Scala in Siena.

In 1600 it was bought by the Marquis Giovanni Battista Bourbon Del Monte who kept it for centuries and only in 1906 sold it to the Swiss citizen Hemmeler. Today the complex is the heirs of the British writer Graham Greene who turned it into a renowned farm.

The castle of the Potentino still presents its original medieval appearance, occupying two distinct areas; the first, more external, includes the various annexed rural buildings and leads to the second, more internal area, which is accessed through an arched door that opens up along a curtain wall with summit blackbirds.

The main area consists of the castle properly called L-shaped around a courtyard. The building, unlike the remaining complex, is in Renaissance style following the interventions made by the Sienese between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, with the architraved access door surmounted by a noble coat of arms; on the roof there is a small bell gable. Beyond the main area there is a third well-defined area where there stood an Italian garden, now completely resized and modified.

At the castellano settlement, there is the noble chapel dedicated to Sant'Antonio da Padova. Today, the estate has been revitalized and is dedicated to the production of wine, grappa and oil thanks to the 4 hectare vineyard and a suggestive olive grove.

https://www.histouring.com

Castello di Potentino

Within a medieval village of the twelfth century, still inhabited by families from the area still very tied to the territory and tradition, surrounded by the Tuscan hills, from cypress trees and vineyards as far as the eye can see, it rises Castel Porrona Relais & Spa; an elegant one boutique perfect for relaxing stays and food and wine experiences in the name of good food and good Tuscan wine.

The hotel consists of twenty-five rooms and from a suggestive Medieval Castle, it is located in the heart of the Tuscan Maremma, in the province of Grosseto, in Cinigiano and, open from Easter until November, it is available for individual stays, family trips or private events such as weddings, anniversaries or corporate events, immersed in the complete privacy and charm of the Tuscan countryside.

A few minutes by car and guided by the in-depth knowledge of the concierge, guests can visit places of great tourist, historical and cultural interest such as Siena, Florence, Montalcino and the well-known seaside resorts of Punta Ala and Castiglione della Pescaia, thus combining pleasant excursions near the high quality of services provided by the hotel.

The rooms of Castel Porrona Relais & Spa are composed of Classic, Deluxe, Suite and the most romantic Executive Suites. In addition to these, the property also offers five perfect apartments for family stays because they have a kitchenette, separate rooms, a living room and services.
All the rooms have been furnished keeping the rustic Tuscan style with exposed wooden beams and stone sills embellished with antique furniture, curtains and precious colored fabrics that distinguish every single room; the chromatic theme of the fabrics varies from violet to blue-mustard, from gray to red, with acanthus leaves motifs or elegant stripes.

Among the other services also offered the excellent quality of food offered by the Il Chiostro restaurant from the Tuscan and typical Italian flavor combined with a wine list strongly linked to the territory; between the selection of the products offered by Il Chiostro also the excellent red wines and Brunelli labeled Castel Porrona as well as champagne and extra virgin olive oil, all also available in the shop inside the village.

Do not miss theAgua Spa, with an Arabian flavor and fully furnished with precious decorations from Morocco, it offers a heated indoor pool, jacuzzi, sauna and calidarium as well as a panoramic outdoor pool, a fitness room and a pool bar for refreshing cocktails or pleasant poolside snacks.
A unique place where you can combine the taste of history with comfort of luxury.

History
Castel Porrona is located not far from the town of Cinigiano, a pretty village in the province of Grosseto. The village, built around the twelfth century, has belonged for about five centuries to two of the largest families of the Sienese nobility, the Tolomei family and that of the Piccolomini which dominated the two halves of the village. In 1894 Castel Porrona was bought by Pietro Emilio Targes de Rochefort, an important exponent of the French high nobility, who gave orders to restore the village in a neo-Gothic style to re-propose and restore the lost stylistic elements of the Middle Ages to splendor. Today Castel Porrona is a beautiful village located halfway between Grosseto, Monte Amiata and the famous Val d'Orcia, in the Siena area and partly inhabited by a few locals and the remaining part used as a private accommodation. The hillside position is strategic because it offers a breathtaking view from the surrounding countryside, vineyards and olive groves.

The complete restoration of Castel Porrona has taken place over the last few decades and has been realized in perfect harmony with the pre-existing structure respecting the architectural criteria of the entire complex and highlighting what was authentic there was safeguarding the medieval spirit of the structure. The buildings that have remained uninhabited over the years have been purchased from the current private property to be used as a hotel.
The Castle, from which the village takes its name, is today part of the hotel and stands in the center of the town square, in one of the most panoramic points of the Maremma offering a view as far as the eye can see on the landscape, historical and artistic beauties of Tuscany. The complex is available for exclusive use and offers unique and exclusive stays in the five suites (each with private bathroom), numerous reading rooms, large dining room, butler available and a panoramic tower from which you can see the Tuscan landscape immersed in complete privacy and in the silence of a well-preserved small town.

The rooms of the hotel, as well as the private houses of the premises, are located within the ancient walls of the village and give hotel guests and tourists who stroll through the streets a show of authentic medieval architecture and pleasant quiet. Suggestive glimpses such as the ancient well, the monumental Castle or the parish church where religious services are still held for the locals, are the most photographed corners of Castel Porrona.

https://www.dimorestoricheitaliane.it


Castel Porrona 

his castle built in 1190 was destroyed by wars and rebuilt several times before being given in 1376 to Santa Caterina di Siena, which made it into a convent. He returned to the public domain and was restored in 1408. The banker Crescenzio Turamini who bought it in 1525, had it restored by Baldassarre Peruzzi, who gave it the current form. After 1555, it belonged for a moment to Cosimo I of Medicis. In 1802, new restoration, in the neoclassical style, of the facade of the villa, by Serafino Belli. Today, the buildings, a garden and two courtyards are surrounded by a wall. You enter a triangular courtyard which includes buildings for the service staff, then you reach a second courtyard paved with bricks, with the neoclassical style villa and the house of the guard opposite. The garden is accessed by two doors next to a well. This garden contains a chapel whose exterior is simple but nicely decorated inside. Near the chapel, a beautiful loggia nowadays has beautiful frescoes. You can go round the walls by a circular path, from which you can enjoy beautiful views. In the villa, you have to visit the pretty fresco by Baldassarre Peruzzi: the "Judgment of Paris".

https://www.monument-tracker.com

Castello di Belcaro

Recenti scavi archeologici hanno collocato l'origine di Montarrenti fra la metà del VII° e la metà dell’VIII° secolo come villaggio di capanne circondato da due palizzate lignee a difesa della parte bassa e alta del rilievo, diventato poi centro curtense di raccolta dei prodotti agricoli in età carolingia. Tra metà VIII° e IX° secolo si assiste ad una trasformazione dell’area di sommità: la palizzata è sostituita da un muro in pietra legato da malta.
Le più antiche notizie documentarie relative a Montarrenti (Monte Liurenti o Monte Lirrenti) risalgono invece al 1156 quando il vescovo di Volterra, Galgano Pannocchieschi, cita la località in una sua bolla.
Nel 1165 si trova nominato un certo "Baverii de Monte Arrenti" in tre documenti stipulati dallo stesso vescovo di Volterra. Nel 1178 Cattaneo da Montarrenti, per il comune di Siena, fu designato come amministratore delle miniere di argento della zona.
Agli inizi del Duecento, il Comune di Siena estese il suo dominio su una vasta area della Toscana meridionale e il 5 settembre 1217 i nobili e i tre consoli del castello giurarono fedeltà alla Repubblica di Siena. A partire da questo anno il Comune di Siena inviò ogni sei mesi nel castello un podestà. Questo fino al 1271 quando le autorità cittadine decisero l'abolizione della sede podestarile di Montarrenti causa il forte decremento demografico. Questo ci conferma che l'assetto urbanistico del castello ha avuto il suo massimo sviluppo proprio tra la fine del XII° e la prima metà del XIV° secolo, quando l'incremento della popolazione raggiunse a Montarrenti il punto più alto.