The castle Castello di Gargonza is a fortified village in 1200 located in the hills of Tuscany in a panoramic position on the Val di Chiana a short distance from the cities of Arezzo and Siena. Hotel & Residence Today Gargonza is a beautiful hotel with rooms and apartments enclosed within its walls, along with the medieval tower, the church, to the wells. Just the houses of the former inhabitants now the rooms and common areas have become of our hotel and residence because it combines the charm of history with that country chic typical of Tuscany. www.gargonza.it rooms The rooms and apartments of Gargonza Castle are all modern and equipped with every comfort and recall and reflect all, their former residents with their genuineness by binding to it their name: Argentina, Boccio, Niccolina and, with them, many others wonderful characters. Psicina & Restaurant Just outside the walls a large swimming pool and panoramic, the Val di Chiana and the typical landscape of Tuscany, is available for moments of relaxation or for brunch served directly from our restaurant La Torre di Gargonza offering typical dishes of traditional Tuscan cuisine made of fresh and genuine ingredients from the hotel or by Tuscan local producers. www.ristorantelatorredigargonza.it weddings Gargonza with the church, the restaurant and the rooms are always available also for weddings in style in a romantic setting and charming. We organize weddings for over 20 years and we put our expertise at our disposal to organize our wedding in every detail, hospitality, at the ceremony of receiving the photos. Meeting and Team Building Company If you need to arrange a meeting or business meetings, but also of Team Building with your collaborators, Gargonza has its own meeting rooms equipped with the most modern tools teconologici, 600 hectares of forest and the restaurant for Team activities building outside or in the kitchen.

https://www.itinari.com


The castle Castello di Gargonza

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Prime notizie
La torre fu probabilmente eretta dai Longobardi nel VI o VII secolo, ma la parte principale del castello fu costruita verso la fine del primo millennio dai discendenti di Winigi, primo conte salico di Siena sotto i Franchi nel IX secolo, e di suo figlio Berardo dal quale la zona della Berardenga prende il nome. Troviamo frequenti riferimenti alla casata dei Berardenghi (discendenti da Berardo) nei vari documenti relativi a Montalto e alla zona circostante, e in particolare al vicino monastero di San Salvatore a Fontebona che fu fondato da Winigi nell'867 e in seguito ampliato dai suoi figli Ranieri e Berardo.

La notizia più antica che abbiamo sul maniero risale all'XI secolo, e suggerisce che a quel punto Montalto era già una comunità ben stabilita. Un censimento del 1202 conta più di 40 famiglie abitanti in quella corte (la quale includeva non solo il castello ma anche i terreni che gli appartenevano); ma numerosi documenti rogati a Montalto in un lasso di tempo di oltre un secolo, dal 1104 al 1212, registrano inizialmente donazioni e in seguito vendite di beni fondiari ad altri (incluso il monastero), forse segnali di difficoltà economiche per i Berardenghi signori di Montalto, indotti ad alienare immobili per ottenere denaro liquido.

La battaglia di Montalto
Montalto dominava un'importante strada medievale che permetteva ad Arezzo e i suoi territori l'accesso al Mediterraneo, ed era di grande importanza strategica per Siena per via della sua posizione proprio sul confine fra i territori di Siena e quelli di Firenze ed i suoi alleati.

I fiorentini intendevano portare l'intera Toscana sotto il loro dominio; la repubblica di Siena, da parte sua, non solo voleva conservare la propria indipendenza, ma sperava anche di annettere il paese di Montepulciano che sovrastava la via Francigena, la grande arteria commerciale che dalla Francia conduceva a Roma. Di conseguenza, dal 1201 al 1553 Siena e Firenze furono perennemente in guerra, ed il castello di Montalto si trovava spesso coinvolto.

Di particolare rilievo è la cosiddetta battaglia di Montalto che ebbe luogo nel giugno 1208. I cronisti ci offrono rapporti a volte incongrui sulle cause iniziali del conflitto: uno storico narra che Siena aveva posto Montepulciano sotto assedio, e Firenze, intendendo venire in aiuto della città asserragliata, attaccò Montalto che era l'avamposto principale di Siena nella zona, spingendo Siena a tutelare la sicurezza del castello. Un altro asserisce che le truppe di Siena erano in cammino verso Montepulciano quando vennero sorprese e attaccate dai fiorentini nella zona di Montalto. Altri ancora raccontano semplicemente che le due città vennero alle armi a Montalto. Ad ogni modo, la cosa certa è che la conseguente battaglia fu feroce e devastante. Molti furono i caduti in entrambe le parti, ma Siena soffrì i danni più ingenti; Firenze catturò più di 1200 prigionieri, e il castello fu quasi interamente distrutto. Un cronista riferisce, tra le altre cose, anche le parole di scherno formulate dai fiorentini dopo l'esito dello scontro: "“Est factum planum Mons Altum nomine vanum”".

La fortezza subì danni considerevoli, e i Berardenghi fecero appello a Siena per contribuire ai lavori di rafforzamento delle mura. Siena, riconoscendo l'importante posizione strategica di Montalto, consentì a un prestito.

Castello di Montalto in Chianti

The Castle of Montozzi enjoys an incredible panoramic position overlooking the Val d'Arno di Sopra, the Val d'Ambra, the Monti del Chianti and the Prato Magno.
The fortified medieval structure, still legible today, over the centuries has been transformed into a pretty village.

The hill from whose peak controlled communication routes and territories disputed between Guelphs and Ghibellines, is surrounded by a crown of olive trees, and within the ancient circle of walls have appeared public utility buildings, orchards and gardens that in spring are a "flagship".
In the 1600, the now dangerous stones that in ancient times had formed the stronghold of Teuzzo dei Sassi, Lord of the Bulgarians, were recomposed to give life to the Villa-Palace of the prelates Francesco and Ottavio Bartolini Baldelli.
They wanted a dwelling of noble proportions but without excessive pomp, which traced the model of simple and sober harmony of many Florentine palaces and villas; guided in their choices by the spirit of noble dignity that was well suited to their habit and to their work as Secretaries of Cosimo III.

At the beginning of '700, the most frivolous and mundane Francesco Maria Bartolini Baldelli with his bride Maria Maddalena Giraldi, in addition to the new church of Montozzi, he added a double porch overlooking the garden to soften the solid structure built by uncles. A creation and a structural feature of great charm, which has made the original conception more dynamic and graceful.
In those years he was Lieutenant of the Academy of the Arts of Drawing, fulcrum management of the artists in Florence, and here he was inspired to give a touch of elegance to his Villa of Montozzi: he entrusted the fresco decoration to Giovanni Camillo Sagrestani and Giovanni Martino Portuguese the stuccoes.

The park, as we see it today, was essentially designed and created in the mid-nineteenth century by the Marquis Bartolommeo Bartolini Baldelli. As Major Majordomo of the Imperial and Real Court of Lorraine he was able to draw on the wisdom of Pitti's staff, and for Montozzi he was assisted by Angiolo Pucci, gardener of the Royal Botanical Garden of Boboli. In the details and in reduced format, various ideas and affinities with the urban creations of Giuseppe Poggi are also evident.

The history of the Castle of Montozzi
It is from 1036 the news of a fortification referred to as "Mons Teuzi", from the name of its lord Teuzzo of Ildebrando dei Sassi Signore dei Bulgari; it certifies the presence of Montozzi for the first time.

During the Middle Ages the Castle of Montozzi, a crossroads of an intense road that linked Florence, Siena and Arezzo and with one strategically dominant position on the Val d'Arno di Sopra and the Val d'Ambra, was disputed between the two main feudal lords of the area: Ubertini and Guidi. He was the protagonist of fierce battles between Guelphs and Ghibellines, and according to alternate and dramatic events, he was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt.
Starting from the 1400 all the Val d'Arno di Sopra was subjected to Florence and Montozzi lost the original warlike connotation, turning little by little into a village in the middle of an agricultural, populous and active territory.
Among the families who decided to invest in buildings and lands of the ancient Castle from the beginning of the 1500 were the Bartolini Baldelli, who over the years became their sole owners.
The Baldelli belonged to the feudal nobility of Cortona, Bartolommeo by Piero Baldelli at the beginning of the 1400 had moved to the fief of Montelungo near Terranuova in the Val d'Arno di Sopra, and from it originated the branch of the family who called himself Bartolini Baldelli .
These from the middle of the '500 became Florentine citizens and began an intense activity at the court, carrying out multiple roles for all the Medici grand dukes and Lorraine grand dukes.
This will bring to this family of province riches and honors.

As was common for Florentine aristocrats, the commitments in the capital never turned the Bartolini Baldelli away from the meticulous and passionate care of the farms that will remain a constant throughout the centuries up to our days, and Montozzi will always be at the center of their interests.
The castle today shows its almost millenarian history, during which it is shaped following many necessary renovations. Autarkic until the 50 years of the 1900, it offered to its inhabitants in addition to its decent craft: the house, the school, the church, the shops, the laboratories, there were silk and hemp, they cooked the bricks for new buildings and beams and fittings were formed in the large sawmill. To the community of the big farm, the land gave everything: raw materials, livestock and crops, .... and good wine ...
The last 500 years of this industrious history have been managed by Bartolini Baldelli with constant commitment and passion, coming to transport Montozzi in the rapid flow of today's global world.

The Borgo and the Castle today
Today the village, although restored, retains its original appearance. The villa with the park and the church have been subject to the supervision by the superintendency by the owners Giovanni Battista and Piero Bartolini Baldelli.
Il park is expertly cared for in absolute respect of its structure and original plantings by Marzia Piccolomini Bartolini Baldelli; task made more difficult in recent years by the oddities of climate change and new calamities that threaten traditional flora.

The agricultural estate
La great agricultural estate entirely managed by Carlo and Antonio Bartolini Baldelli includes more 600 hectares of land between arable land, vineyards, olive groves and woods coppice. From the 2010 a modality has been adopted exclusively organic cultivation and exceptional products are obtained: fine wines (Chianti and IGT), excellent oil, "ancient" grains with a low gluten content, and organic medicine.

https://www.dimorestoricheitaliane.it

Castello di Montozzi

The Castello di Brolio is a rural castle, palace and gardens located in the municipality of Gaiole in Chianti, about 20 km NE of Siena, region of Tuscany, Italy.

The palace has belonged to the Ricasoli family for nearly 800 years. The castle was destroyed more than once during the wars between Siena and Florence. It was rebuilt around the year 1500 after destruction by the Sienese army. Now on a pentagonal plinth, rise both the stone castle and larger brick palace built in Gothic revival-style, mainly under the patronage of Baron Bettino Ricasoli, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Italy, who created the Chianti recipe of 70% Sangiovese, 15% Canaiolo and 15% Malvasia bianca. In 2015, the site was mainly known for its surrounding wine manufacture, and hosts guided tours.

Castello di Brolio

After the destruction of its fortification the Castello was converted into an aristocratic estate, owned by the Barons Ricasoli. Since then Castello di Lucignano has been providing its Lords with agricultural products, including grapes for the production of great Chianti wines.
The history of Castello di Lucignano reaches far back in time: besides Etruscan artifacts a Roman wall was discovered, which still forms part of the old wine-cellar of the castle . The first written account of the Castello dates back to the year 912, when the Sienese Archbishop Teodorico assessed the taxes for the parish S. Cristina at Lucignano della Berardenga. Castello di Lucignano was subjected to the century long battles between Siena and Florenz and finally in 1452, after a siege by Aragonese troups, came under the reign of Florence.

Since 1994 Castello di Lucignano is experiencing a time of revival. Thanks to the initiative of a German entrepreneur, Gerd K. Schué and his son Stephan, the dilapidated hamlet was carefully restored, the vineyards were replanted with modern clones of Sangiovese grapes and a state-of-the-art wine-cellar was established. Today Castello di Lucignano is considered one of the most beautiful architectoral “jewels” of the Chianti Classico region.

http://www.castellodilucignano.it

Castello di Lucignano

Montecchio Vesponi is a small village part of the municipality of Castiglion Fiorentino, province of Arezzo. Located 4 km south of Castiglion Fiorentino, lies in a hill at the bottom of Chio valley, 364 m above sea level, there resides 1200 inhabitants.
The first dwellings on Montecchio hill date back to etrush-Roman era, a pagan sanctuary might have been built there. Around the 9th century the castle was built, part of the fee of the Marchiones family and related to Farneta abbey. Other related feudals were the Orselli and Panzoni of Cortona or the Da Vitiano. At the beginning of 13th century it became allied to the municipality of Arezzo and the castles of Mammi and Monticello. In around 1234 it was bought by the municipality of Arezzo which settled more people there, made it a municipality under its influence and a stronghold against Castiglion Fiorentino and Cortona.

In 1281 Arezzo enlarged the castle walls completing the fortress which is visible today, making it is similar to Montecolognola and Monteriggioni, and settled families in the interior. In 1289 after the defeat suffered by Arezzo in the battle of Campaldino it passed to Florence. It switched back to Arezzo in 1303 and at the beginning of the 14th century was a stronghold against Perugia.

In around 1383,the Arezzo military being weak and without control of its territory, the castle was occupied by John Hawkwood, known in Italy as "Giovanni Acuto", who settled there. Upon his death (1394) Montecchio became again the property of the municipality of Florence and was used by florentine administrators.

It was mede part of the Castiglion Fiorentino municipality in 1774 with administrative reform of Leopold II, Duke of Tuscany.

In the 19th century the castle, formerly subdivided in many small properties, was bought by a Servadio banker who started restoration work. It was later sold to the Budini and Gattai family which restored the tower and continued consolidating the walls. It was then abandoned. It became the property of cont Orietta Floridi.

Montecchio Vesponi

The Castle of Cacchiano is located in the town of the same name in the province of Siena, in the heart of the Chianti region, set on a hill overlooking the valley of San Marcellino for over 1000 years. It is in fact here that in the X century the noble family of the Ricasoli decided to build the manor on what were the remains of a previous Roman settlement, as evidenced by the existence of numerous archaeological finds discovered in the area. The military complex, together with the nearby castle of Brolio, also owned by the Ricasoli family, became a particularly strategic defensive structure in the border area between the Florentine territory in which they were located, and the Sienese one. In 1452 the manor resisted the assault of the Aragonese troops, but a few years later in 1478, it suffered serious damage from another attack. The castle maintained the function of a fortress in defense of the territory until the end of 1500, when the defensive task failed, it underwent structural changes, transforming itself into a farm-villa with an agricultural vocation.
Today the Castle is owned by the Ricasoli-Firidolfi family, descendants of Barone Bettino Ricasoli, the great-great-grandfather of the current owner, nicknamed the "Iron Baron" who in the 19th century brought great innovations to Tuscan viticulture and assembly coder of Chianti wine. In continuity with the centuries-old vocation that distinguishes the family and the territory, the castle is now home to a well-known farm, producing a wide range of products, all of the highest quality. The production area is the Monti in Chianti plateau, where Sangiovese, Malvasia, Colorino, Caniolo and Merlot vines produce an average of 120,000 bottles. Another highlight of the estate is the production of extra virgin olive oil D.O.P. Chianti Classico obtained from 30 hectares of olive groves, some seculars, other decades.
In the seventeenth century part of the castle an area has been created for the direct sale of the company's products, while in the adjacent area there is the wine shop where tastings and light lunches are organized.
The Castle of Cacchiano also opens to hospitality with the farmhouse and its apartments, such as the "Bindaccio", perfectly integrated into the oldest part of the castle, which with its 200 sqm furnished with care and elegance offers every comfort and modern service . On the top floor there is a terrace-solarium where you can enjoy the magnificent surrounding panorama, while adjacent to the apartment there is also a garden with swimming pool. In the heart of the castle is instead the apartment the "Guerrante", over 100 square meters, furnished with fine furniture and equipped with a terrace that runs along the ancient walls.

https://www.histouring.com/

The Castle of Cacchiano

About two kilometers from Gaiole in Chianti stands the ancient Castello di Meleto, built in the 11th century by Benedictine monks from the nearby Badia di Coltibuono. Later it became the property of a feudal lord known as Guardellotto who, following conflicts with the emperor Frederick I Barbarossa saw himself stripped of all his possessions including the fort. Towards the middle of the thirteenth century, a time when the ancient cassero built in the center of the castle dates back to, the property passes into the hands of a branch of the Ricasoli-Firidolfi, which will be called "da Meleto" or "Meletesi".

Strategically positioned on the underlying road between Valdarno and Chianti over the centuries the castle was the protagonist of numerous wars without suffering serious damage. In 1478 the Aragonese army, an ally of Siena, took possession of the manor but only two years later it was expelled by the Florentine armies that carried out substantial work to strengthen the defensive structures, still visible today. After the war periods during the 1700s the structure was transformed into a villa and therefore its defenses dismantled: the interiors still have the appearance dating back to this period, with frescoed and decorated rooms and a picturesque theater from 1742 equipped with its original scenery.


Today the village of Castello di Meleto offers itself as an exclusive location where to spend a peaceful and relaxing stay, being able to choose to stay in the farmhouses, renovated in 1998, for privacy-filled holidays, or in the B&B rooms arranged between the Castle and the Casa Canonica. Guests have access to two infinity pools, the first in the garden of the castle and the second, with salt water, next to the villa casanova, both equipped with umbrellas and deck chairs for moments of absolute tranquility.


A few hundred meters away is the restaurant "La Fornace di Meleto", where the protagonists are the dishes of the rich Tuscan gastronomic tradition such as the Pici, the Fiorentina and the delicious Tiramisù.

The history of the Castle is also marked by weddings that took place over the years among the representatives of the noble families and today as yesterday it lends itself to become the setting for ceremonies and events with a unique charm. Guests can enjoy the frescoed rooms of the Piano Nobile, the garden and the panoramic terrace overlooking the gentle Chianti hills and the Scuderia where to celebrate with music and dancing. A small private chapel capable of holding about 20 people lends itself to religious weddings with an intimate atmosphere, while for a greater number of guests it is possible to choose the Pieve di Santa Maria in Spaltenna, just 2 km from the Castle.

Among the approximately one thousand hectares of land that extend around the village, about 125 are cultivated with vines, mainly finding the Chianti Classico DOCG but also Cabernet, Merlot and Vermentino. You cannot miss taking part in one of the guided tours of the Castello di Meleto, including the ancient underground cellar, ending with a tasting of the wines produced on the estate.

https://www.histouring.com/

Castello di Meleto 

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