The medieval Mugnana castle is 16 km from Florence, surrounded by woodland and olive-groves, and dominates an unspoiled valley, that was once one of the accesses to Florence. The tall stone tower and the high walls date back to the 10th century, while the main body of the castle, the loggias, the courtyard and the gardens are 13th century. The private chapel was added in the 17th century.
Today in the castle and in the tower can sleep up to 25 people, and the location offers all comforts for weddings and ceremonies (up to 200 people seated for dinner, both inside in the saloons, as well as outside in the courtyard or in the garden).
Thank to its architectural value, it has been awarded for its careful renovation. Today it is officially recognized as "Residenza d'Epoca" and it is member of the "Associazione Dimore Storiche Italiane".

https://www.residenzedepoca.it

Castello di Mugnana

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The Castello di Sezzate presents some of the typical features of a mediaeval castle. Firstly, its position at the mouth of a valley justifies its existence on the military level. Secondly, it comprises two groups of structures, one for the residence of the lords (the "caisson"), and the other for the population concentrated in the village huddled under the walls and that had a parish church dedicated to San Martino.

Worthy of note are some arrow slots (long and narrow, vertical slits in the walls to allow secure defensive archery). These have recently been restored, along with some scaffolding holes (slots in the vestment to support wooden scaffolding during construction and repairs).

The escarpment visible at the base of the Castello di Sezzate is likely to be a later addition with the purposes both to provide defence against cannon fire and to reinforce the solidity of the building.

Originally owned by the Alamanni family, the Castello di Sezzate later passed into the hands of the Guidi, the major representatives of the Empire in this part of Tuscany, and because of this open political alignment of its lords, the castle became involved, during the 13 C, in clashes between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines. As a result, the castle of Sezzate suffered damage that did not, however, compromise its vital functions, including, once again in the early 14 C, a market in the vicinity of the castle intended for a clientele of relatively large area (from Strada in Chianti to Rubbiana).

After securing the functions of a "noble"residence for the Florentine Bardi family, who also owned the neighbouring fortress of Mugnana, like many counterparts, this structure was destined to become a habitation for the peasantry, divided into units and then undergoing a progressive abandonment, until it was restored in recent decades. By removing the plaster from most of the walls and eliminating some later accretions to the building of the mediaeval period, this restoration has brought to light the original mediaeval walls.

The Castle of Sezzate can be accessed easily on foot from the Cintoia - La Panca - Greve road, by following the public walking path no. 18 of the Italian Alpine Club, which is part of the so-called "Cintoia ring" and which leads to the castle over a mediaeval bridge crossing the Sezzate creek. Immediately below the castle, following the path through a beautiful olive grove, you can admire both the wonderful grove itself and the imposing castello buildings, and enjoy a panoramic view to the north and the basin where Florence is situated.

https://www.la-panca.com

Castello di Sezzate

The Castle of Uzzano in its present form is essentially a typical Renaissance villa with a double-columned façade of white plaster and pietra serena. There are a few remains of the original rectangular mediaeval watch tower. The italianate garden was restored in the 18 C with the addition of a double staircase and some statues.
Uzzano was a castle of relatively small dimensions that, in 1269, was deprived of its towers and walls at the hands of the Ghibellines. However, these defences must have been reconstructed in the first half of the 14 C when Uzzano was recorded as a castle (castrum) associated with a parish church (pieve) named San Martino and endowed with a stone wall and a gate. It was depicted as such again at the end of the 16 C in a drawing executed for the Florentine magistracy of the Captains of the Guelphs, in order to be transformed into a villa during the course of the following century.
https://www.greve-in-chianti.com

Today it is possible to discern only a few features of the ancient fortifications incorporated into the huge new structure designed by Andrea di Cione, known as l'Orcagna, and successively reshaped and widened. The few remains are still imposing in their effects and consist of small blocks of sandstone placed in regular rows. The presence in an angular, truncated tower of small sandstone blocks, datable to between the second half of the 13 C and the first half of 14 C century, possibly corresponds to the successive reconstructions following the destruction of 1269. The bastion that supports and consolidates the lower part of the walls definitely constitutes a later addition. The windows opened through the walls are all of even more recent date.

The inner part of the Castello di Uzzano, which it is approached through a rusticated portal with round arches, coeval with the modern reconstruction of the entire complex, is rendered of great interest by the courtyard with porticos on four sides, finished with pietra serena pillars of remarkable elegance.

The castle of Uzzano is famous for having provided the family name of the celebrated Niccolò di Giovanni da Uzzano, who, in Florence in the first years of the 15 C, vainly opposed the unstoppable rise of Cosimo de' Medici.


The Castle of Uzzano  

Vicchiomaggio Castle, one of the most beautiful historical houses was originally the Tuscany immersed in a park of over 130 hectares of lands, it is today an elegant one farmhouse, a perfect one location for weddings, meeting ed private eventsas well as a renowned one winery. Suitable for a short stay, but also for a trip out of town. We offer nights, lunches, included, showed of our historical ones cellars e tastings from our products. An enviable position that will also allow you to plan excursions e visits to some of the gods most beautiful and evocative places in Italy.

History
Brief history of a family passion. 1921: Federico Matta, originally from Asti, begins to import wine in London and after 30 years becomes the No.1 in GB for Italian wines. 1964: Castello Vicchiomaggio is bought by the Matta family, a property of 150 Ha. in the Chianti Classico, with 32 Ha. of vineyard.

1970: Dopa having attended the school of Viticulture and Enology of Alba (Piedmont), John Matta, (son of Federico) began his career at Vicchiomaggio. 1990: An important vineyard renewal program begins. One-sixth implantation of 5,600 screws / Ha. will ensure low yields and great quality. All cultivation practices are (50) chosen to ensure a sustainable viticulture with very low environmental impact, special attention is given to the management of the soil to minimize erosion, a problem in the hills. 2010: Always assisted by his wife Paola, three of the four children join the company. Sebastian follows production and sales. Federica and Delfina are dedicated to the development of accommodation, consisting of beautiful rooms, apartments and a restaurant.

https://www.dimorestoricheitaliane.it

The Vicchiomaggio Castle

Il castello di Quarate si trova nell'omonima località frazione di Bagno a Ripoli, in provincia di Firenze.
Storia
Prima che venisse eretto il castello, dovette esistere nel sito un fortilizio romano, da cui deriva il nome della zona, un castrum detto centuria quadrata, che probabilmente fu recuperato e ampliato in epoca longobarda, come farebbe pensare l'intitolazione della vicina chiesa a san Michele Arcangelo. Le prime notizie ufficiali sul castello si trovano in un documento del 1098.

Fu possesso della famiglia dei Quaratesi, che ne riprese il nome. In una descrizione del 1346 viene ricordato come il castello facesse parte dei beni indivisi di tutti i rami della famiglia, e viene descritto come "una casa a pie' detta della torre", dotata di cortina muraria e con un fossato almeno su di un lato. Nella porta di accesso alla corte fu ritrovata una pergamena commemorativa: «Questa porta fàcione fare madonna Oretta e madonna Camilla, figliole di Andrea Quaratesi, l'anno 1523 del mese di septembre, quando fuggirono la morìa di Quarata. Lavoròlla mastro Battista legnaiolo a Monte et è la porta d'olmo». Vi si ricorda cioè come la famiglia si fosse rifugiata in campagna durante una delle periodiche ondate di peste in città.

Dal 1534 passò per le mani di altri proprietari.

Nella struttura oggi residenziale si nota la struttura duecentesca, a pianta rettangolare, dotato di corte centrale. Vi spiccano una torre priva della sommità, sul lato nord-occidentale, e una seconda isolata, a poche decine di metri, a basa quadrata e costruita in pietra arenaria, con un ulivo singolarmente cresciuto sulla sua sommità, che le ha valso il nome di "torre dell'ulivo". Sono visibili inoltre scarsi resti delle mura che cingevano il colle.

A poca distanza si trova la cappella di San Michele Arcangelo, che fu parrocchia fino al XV secolo ed oggi è stata ritrutturata.

Castello di Quarate 

In the land survey presented by Tommaso Soderini in 1464 to the ‘Offi cials’ of the Land
Registry of the Republic of Florence, it was noted that wine and oil were the most highly
prized produce of the estate.
The construction of the cellars, whose vaulted structure demonstrates their use for wine
production, was begun in 1124. In that epoch, the castle belonged to one of the most
important banking families of Florence, the Bardi, who, in the second half of the thirteenth
century, began the extension of the fortress by building perimeter walls and battlements
in the typical Guelph style of the era.
 The castle remained in the possession of the Bardi until the early part of the 15th century,
when it passed to the Soderini family, one of the most politically infl uential families in
Florence. It was the Soderini who were responsible for the conversion of the turreted
manor house of Gabbiano in Fattoria, already completed by the late 15th century,
according to the description in the “land survey” presented in 1480 by the father of Pier
Soderini, Tommaso, to the Land Registry “Offi cials” of the Land Registry of the Republic
of Florence.
In the course of the century, new buildings were added on several occasions, as can be
deduced from the stonework, which reveals various phases of development, until it was
converted into a large quadrilateral building, which also formed a kind of private fortalice,
being furnished with four cylindrical turrets reinforcing the corners.
It was while in the possession of the Soderini that the Castle was converted into a
structure more like the present one, with the construction in 1505 of round towers at the
four corners of the castle, displaying French architectural infl uence. When the Soderini’s
struggle against the Medici led to them being declared rebels in the 16th century and
banned from Florence, the Castle was abandoned for a long time. Only in the 17th century,
when the Soderini were able to return to their homeland, was the Castle given new life,
as the inscription on a sandstone plaque over the entrance door informs us.
 Under the two coats of arms of the Sorderini, the following is inscribed: “FRANC.
SODERINUS SENAT.GASP.F.RURIS HUIUS IN FAMIGLIA RESTITUTOR SUB.A MDCLII”
Above the coats of arms lies the motto that was dictated by Pier Soderini on the occasion
of his election as gonfalonier, or standard bearer, which reads “IUS UT PALMA FLO”
(“Iustus ut palma fl orebit”).
 From the 19th century onwards, the families who owned the property carried out various
restoration works, fully respecting the features of the architectural complex of the Castle.
In the complex of buildings annexed to the castle, there is the neo-classical style private
chapel which was built in the 19th century under the ownership of the Del Turco family,
according to an inscription inside the little church dating from the restoration works in
1957 by the Lemmi.

https://www.castellogabbiano.it

Castello di Gabbiano

Tucked away into the hills of Arezzo lies the magic Castello di Galbino, a large and welcoming family castle surrounded by seemingly endless fields and hills covered olive groves and woods.

The castle has a basic square shape with a raised central section and four round towers on the corners. Elegant arched loggias with stone columns, added during its renaissance period conversion, run along two sides.

The glazed loggia with frescoed vaulted ceilings leads onto a small chapel. It is the perfect place for spending a lazy afternoon. The light filters through the sheer curtains. The main dining room has French windows onto the terrace and the garden with yet another table and chairs for outdoor meals. The twin bedroom with frescoed ceilings is probably the most beautiful bedroom in the castle. But all bedrooms have a special feature, be it painted beams or antique furniture, and all of them are decorated with a cotton weave made by the local firm Busatti, which has shops all over the world.

The garden melts into the surrounding landscape, inviting to long walks. The pool lies a little above the house. The long pool lies a little above the house and has soaring views of the enchanting landscape of Tuscany.

https://www.trustandtravel.com

Castello Di Galbino

The Castle of Verrazzano is famous as the family home of the navigator Giovanni da Verrazzano (sometimes spelled Verrazano), the discoverer of New York harbour. The Castello di Verrazzano is one of several fine castellated villas in the Val di Greve, the others including the Castello di Vicchiomaggio, the Castello di Uzzano, Villa Vignamaggio and Villa Calcinaia.

The central tower of the castle was constructed in the late Romanesque period and was joined by an underground passage to another tower close by, providing an important point of surveillance over the Greve valley and control of any movement between Florence and Siena.

The Verrazzano family, of Longobard origins, took its name from the area where it settled in the 7 C according to some scholars and not before 971 according to others, when the leader of Florence was Ugo, Marquis of Tuscany. The name Verrazzano might derive from the latin name of the area "Veratius" (Veratiae Gentis Veraci - farm of the Verazi), or from the latin word "verres" (wild boar) and "zona", land of the wild boar.

The family belonged to the Guelph faction and this was the cause of many disputes and controversies. In 1247, they suffered at the hands of the Ghibellines and during the Battle of Montaperti in 1260 they lost two sons. Ser Chiaro da Verrazzano himself, a valiant defender of the Guelph cause, had to flee to Rome and leave the Castle in the hands of the victorious Ghibellines. In Rome, Cardinal Corsini learnt of the vicissitudes of Ser Chiaro, and consequently commanded that a star on a background half white and half yellow (the Vatican colours) be placed on the Verrazzano coat of arms.

Later, when peace was restored and the Guelph government reinstated, Ser Chiaro returned to his home, but during the journey to Florence he was attacked by the Masnadieri of Ricasoli and robbed of all the riches he had accumulated in Rome. But even in this instance, Ser Chiaro demonstrated his ability in reversing difficult situations: the thieves were found and of the stolen goods "he received in return more than he had lost". Naturally he was hated and envied, for this and also for his position in the government and the affairs of Florence, so he did not escape when the Florentines re-asserted their independence upon the death of the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI in 1197.

His sons demonstrated the courage and also the unscrupulousness of the family by finding the principal leaders of the plot and having them beheaded. A separate destiny was reserved for the actual perpetrator of the stabbings - his hand was cut off and exhibited in public for three days while the assassin was hung up to bleed to death by the side of the road. Different strokes for different folks.

Little more is known of the family because the Verrazzano’s Florentine home was destroyed by fire during the memorable siege by the Imperialists in 1530, and all the important documents in the archive were lost. The Verrazzano family had an altar (still in existence) and several tombs in the church of Santa Croce.

https://www.greve-in-chianti.com

Verrazzano Castle

The first mention of the 'Palagio' castle dates back to 1252, though its origin is surely much earlier. This important stronghold has withstood several major attacks during the centuries. In 1260, the Ghibellines plundered the area and destroyed Campoli, but Il Palagio was unconquered and its thick and semibastioned walls unbreached, as also in 1312 during campaign of the Emperor Henry VII prince of Orange. The year 1320 was characterised by the raids and destruction wrought by Castruccio Castracani, while in 1381 John Hawkwood's army was stopped in the neighborhood by Buondelmonti's troops coming from Il Palagio. By that time the fortress, thanks to its unscaleable curtain wall, had become a bastion for defense and a base for raids against the invaders of the surrounding area. From the 15 C onwards, the castle became the possession of the Florentine Republic which strengthened its walls.

The building, which originally had only one floor with a sloping roof, has undergone many changes. In ancient times, the tower, which has a square shape and functions as the keep, was lower than today and without crenellations (like many other castles of the Chianti area). The present battlements are ornamental and were added during the restoration of 1910. 

From the 15 C onwards, Il Palagio has been endowed with many artistic masterpieces. Portraits of Florentine nobles, pictures of hunting and battles scenes, and terracottas from the school of Della Robbia were brought to the Palagio to adorn the splendid halls. The gothic chapel is still fully decorated and in its centre there is a plaster cast picturing a Madonna with Child. The original work of art was here until the beginning of the 20 C, when it was given to the Bargello Museum in Florence. The current owner of the castle is the family of the Marquis Goretti Miniati.
https://www.mercatale.net

Castello il Palagio 

Il castello di Montefiridolfi è una dimora signorile situata a Montefiridolfi, nel comune di San Casciano in Val di Pesa.
Storia
Le prime testimonianze, secondo cui apparteneva alla famiglia Buondelmonti sin dall'origine, risalgono al maggio 1015 quando è citato in un atto di donazione[1]. Il toponimo appare anche in un altro documento della Badia a Passignano del giugno 1065 ed in un documento della Badia a Coltibuono dove viene chiamato Montis filiorum Ridolfi; il documento risale al 9 novembre 1210.

Citato ancora come deposito di munizioni nel marzo 1480 in un documento dell'Archivio Ricasoli di Brolio, perse poi definitivamente ogni importanza strategico-militare.

La parziale trasformazione in villa fu voluta dalla famiglia Buondelmonti, i quali nel XVI secolo lo ridussero a centro della loro fattoria e lo possedettero fino al 1624, anno della morte senza eredi del cavaliere gerosolimitano frà Andrea di Battista Buondelmonti. Successivamente, per acquisto fattone in data 27 marzo 1639 da Cristofano Baldovinetti, appartenne ai Baldovinetti-Gambereschi "nel quale castello e villa vi è due colombaie, fattoio da olio, tinaia, più stale, due orti, due pozzi d'acqua pulita, prati attorno, et ogni altra comodità"[2], poi ai loro eredi, conti Gabellotti di Faenza, fino a quando, nel 1824, fu acquistato dalla famiglia Tempestini, che lo possedette fino al 1907 e da cui passò ai Kennedy Lawrie per via del matrimonio di Giulia Tempestini con un membro di quella famiglia. Dal 1908 al 1934 appartenne a don Lorenzo dei Principi Corsini marchese di Giovagallo. Oggi il corpo principale appartiene alla famiglia Rosselli Del Turco.

Architettura
Situato fuori dall'attuale abitato di Montefiridolfi vi si accede al termine di un piccolo viale di cipressi. Si presenta come una massiccia costruzione con gli angoli contraffortati.

Il castello, a pianta trapezoidale, è dotato all'interno di due cortili, oltre a quello della canonica parrocchiale, muniti ciascuno di un pozzo artesiano (che hanno dato origine ad una vecchia filastrocca popolare dal sapore di leggenda: "Monte montoro, entro tre pozzi un vitello d'oro"). I cortili inferiori furono realizzati quando la struttura cambiò di uso, da presidio militare a villa e fattoria. Sul cortile superiore è impostata la torre, probabilmente in origine isolata, che con i corpi circostanti aveva la funzione di cassero. La sua altezza fu notevolmente ridotta e la parte terminale venne intonacata.

Nel corpo dell'edificio si aprono pochissime aperture per lo più localizzate a livello del piano terra, quelle esterne realizzate quasi tutte in epoca moderna, dacché due lati del cassero costituivano parte della più ampia cinta muraria, che racchiudeva anche la parte destinata a villa, la chiesa di Santa Cristina e la canonica parrocchiale, oltre vari edifici minori.

Castello di Montefiridolfi 

Il castello di Fabbrica è una dimora signorile situata in località Fabbrica, nel comune di San Casciano in Val di Pesa, nella città metropolitana di Firenze.
Storia
L'edificio è costituito da una villa edificata sui resti di un castello la cui prima menzione risale a due documenti del 1013. Il castello era di proprietà della famiglia degli Scolari nel 1098, quando Uguccione degli Scolari lo donò al vescovo di Firenze. Nel 1269 alcune proprietà del castello furono danneggiate dai Ghibellini. Nel 1298 la proprietà apparteneva ancora al vescovo fiorentino, ma successivamente venne acquistato dai Buondelmonti, che all'interno del borgo di Fabbrica già possedevano delle abitazioni. La loro proprietà durò fino all'estinzione del casato nel XIX secolo.

Passo per eredità alla famiglia Rinuccini dai quali pervenne ai Corsini. Successivamente fu proprietà dei conti Piatti Del Pozzo e della famiglia Vicini. Oggi è sede di una azienda agricola.

Architettura
Un lungo viale di cipressi dà accesso alla villa. Fuori dalle mura del castello si notano numerose abitazioni che per la loro edificazione hanno usato materiale edilizio medievale.

La villa, posta al culmine di una salita, è costituita da un corpo centrale affiancato da due ali, una delle quali edificata dopo la seconda guerra mondiale. Di fronte all'edificio principale vi sono state edificate in epoca recente alcune costruzioni per uso di fattoria.

Tutta la sommità del colle, su cui è stata edificata la villa, è circondata da mura difensive, unica testimonianza del castello altomedievale. La parte posta sul lato della strada presenta una cortina muraria costituita da piccole pietre appena sbozzate. Sempre sullo stesso lato è ancora presente un torrione cilindrico costruito a cavallo delle mura. Un altro torrione era situato sul lato opposto ma fu distrutto durante l'ultima guerra.

Sul lato sud del complesso è situata la chiesa di Sant'Andrea.

Ai piedi del colle si vede il podere Mercatale, costituito da due case coloniche, che come rivela il toponimo era utilizzato come sede del mercato che i Buondelmonti avevano organizzato sulla piana del fiume Pesa.

