The Oliveto castle, really more a fortified villa than a castle, was built in 1424 on the top of a hill dominating the inner valley of the Pescaiola stream, tributary of the river Elsa, by the Florentine nobleman Puccio Pucci, to protect his properties and to be used as country residence or refuge in case of politic bitterness in Florence. The castle is, beyond the real necessities of the time, endowed by moats, stone walls and towers, so it can look like a building of the previous century and not of the Renaissance. Many architectonic elements make this look stronger: the Guelph's battlements of the walled curtains (with a wall walk from which is possible to dominate the surroundings), the four imposing crenellated angle towers, (among them stand out the torre dell’orologio - clock tower), the outer ward from which, passing through a beautiful arched portal, we can access the inner ward of the Villa enriched by an open gallery and the chapel. The inner ward contains a well that in origin was a secret way to escape from the castle: it is joined with a underground gallery that takes at the bottom of the valley. As a matter of fact the aspect of the castle, almost entirely built in red bricks, is of a classic rectangular shaped medieval fortified enclosure. Still under construction, Oliveto was besieged from some unleashed soldier of fortune squads. It was also sacked and occupied during the war between Florence and Siena (until 1480). During the war of the Florentine Republic against the Imperial troops, 1529-1530, Oliveto was a stronghold of the Emperor party. In 1850 the property of the castle passed from the Pucci to the Guicciardini family. Oliveto was still in the heat of a battle in July 1944. During withdrawal of the Wehrmacht toward the river Arno, the castle was defended by the 29. Panzer Grenadier Division and seat of 71° Regiment. Today the castle play the central role in an important farm holiday, wine and oil production estate. https://www.castellitoscani.com

Il castello di Oliveto si trova a Castelfiorentino in provincia di Firenze. È una costruzione rettangolare a mattoni con alte mura e quattro torrioni coronati da merlatura, con torrette campanarie e orologio. Fu costruito dalla famiglia fiorentina dei Pucci come casa di campagna nel XV secolo. Vi si accede da un portone che immette in un recinto e da qui in un cortile interno con un loggiato a quattro arcate ed un bel pozzo di raccolta di acqua piovana. All'interno conserva mobili quattrocenteschi, armi trofei ed una collezione di ritratti eseguiti dal XVI al XVIII secolo. Attualmente viene affittato per ricevimenti di varia natura. Collegamenti esterni

GRATUITO - Una degustazione di vini - Vigneti e oliveti - La piscina panoramica info@castellooliveto.it - I corsi di cucina - Il Circolo Equestre - Vacanze agrituristiche e tipica produzione dei vini e dell’olio - Proprietà privata - Visita solo su prenotazione

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