Send your Tuscany Postcard!
Treschietto was an important fortress overhanging a valley that could be crossed only through two round arch bridges. It used to be accessible only by mule tracks and surrounded by the river Acquetta to the west, Bagnone to the south and the Tanagorda to the northeast. Its importance was attached to its location, a required [...]
This is a journey to rediscover the Via Francigena through the castles and fortresses overlooking the hills of Lunigiana. Medieval towns with long living traditions, rich in history and surrounded by nature. An ancient road that is still full of fascination and charm. Castle of Treschietto near Bagnone View Treschietto Castle in Tuscany Lunigiana in [...]
Like a Medieval Troy, through the centuries the rock of Tentennano has seen a number of wars, invaders and owners, and it was once destroyed and rebuilt as we see it today. Owned since 1100 by the Tignosi family Count of Tentennano, as of 1170 the castle was part of the family’s possessions with Bagno [...]
Castiglione d’Orcia, which existence is recorded since 714, was held by the Aldobrandeschi. It became a free city in 1252, and afterwards a possession of Siena in the Fourteenth century. The historic center, with its old cobblestone alleys, is especially picturesque, reaching the height of romanticism in the Vecchietta Square, dedicated to Lorenzo di Pietro [...]
Sure enough, after posting about Abbadia San Salvatoe, Piancastagnaio, and San Quirico d’Orcia, Radicofani had to be covered as well. Castiglione d’Orcia is short to come too, so come back and check it out tomorrow or in a few days. Radicofani is a tiny town set on a 900 meters high hill on the Mount [...]
San Gimignano has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site thanks to the towers that distinguish the town. At one time these were 72 but now there are only thirteen to characterize this elegant town in the province of Siena. San Gmignano’s worldwide fame, is not only owed to its particular architecture, but also to [...]
After describing the salient traits of Abbadia San Salvatore, another town on the Siena side of the Mount Amiata is worth a visit, Piancastagnaio with its fortress. Since the Eleventh century the southern Tuscany area near the Piancastagnaio castle was subject to the expansionist campaign of the powerful count Aldobrandeschi family. All the territory is [...]
The History. The mighty fortress of Pietracassia is located on a hillside between the streams Sterza and Foscia, at 550 meters above sea level, overlooking the Era and Cecina Valleys. The building sits on a large boulder of limestone rock that makes it impregnable from North. The crack that is on the rock gives the [...]
Aghinolfi castle in Tuscany stands on an isolated hill, placed at the foot of the Apuan Alps, to the left of the stream Tascio. The proximity to the sea and direct control of the underlying Francigena way gave to the complex a unique strategic role. An Eighth-century document certifies the existence of the castle in [...]
The castle is situated in Tuscany between the town of Florence and the town of Fiesole a short distance away from a little frequented road. This castle is totally immersed in green woods and the surrounding fields. In 1840 John Temple Leader, while he was walking along the hills of Fiesole, found an old medieval [...]
