Medieval Castle Property For Sale

Historic Medieval castle property for sale in Tuscany. With an unrivalled view over the Sienese hills, in a quiet but not too isolated location, this beautiful 12th-century castle is right at the heart of Tuscany, midway between the Apennines and the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Historic Medieval castle property for sale in Tuscany

The castle (600 sqm – 6,456 sqft) is laid out onto four above-ground floors plus an underground floor.
The ground floor is made up of a beautiful stone entrance hall and a spacious dining room. Right in the entrance hall we find the stairs leading up. Midway up the road, there’s a door on the left leading to a mezzanine floor, entirely occupied by an independent apartment made up of a living room, two communicating double (or twin) bedrooms and a shared bathroom accessed from the living room. Mounting the last section of the staircase leads to the first floor (piano nobile in Italian) of the fortress: here we enter a nice double-height ceremony hall leading in turn to 2 double (or twin) bedrooms (located one on the east and one on the western side of the building) both fitted with an en-suite bathroom.
Finally, mounting the last staircase, we land on the attic, usable either as a studio, or living room, dining room or bedroom based on the owner’s preferences. A door leads to the roof of the property.
Underground, as in many medieval castles, the fortress has a dungeon, once used as a prison but now reworked into a cellar and a storage room.

The castle has a two-story annexe (70 sqm – 753 sqft), adjacent to the main building, once used as a stable which has been made into dependence or guest house. The building has an ample living room with a kitchen on the ground floor and two bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor.

Descending one terrace, we can find a nice farmhouse (200 sqm – 2,152 sqft) currently in builder’s finish which could be used as a second dependence for an eventual hosting business. Next, to the farmhouse, there is a beautiful church, which needs to be restored, dating back to the 12th century.

The castle we see today was built at the end of the 12th century, in open violation to the 1158 AD order by Frederick I Barbarossa forbidding the construction of military buildings in the area of Siena. Over the years, several German emperors ordered multiple times the demolition of the fortress which was never actually destroyed. When in 1208 the emperor Otto IV ordered the umpteenth demolition of the fortress, under the menace of a severe sanction, the fortress was ultimately demolished (partially or totally, that’s not clear). However, by 1251 the fortress is mentioned again in several documents, so the remaining of the walls on the outside, which appears to have been completing an elliptical structure, suggests that the fortress was “cut” in half instead of being totally demolished. After several military events, the fortress was first restored in 1475. It was only in 1554 that the fortress was finally conquered by the Florentine army after the fall of Siena. The partially ruined building was restored a second time at the end of the 18th century and a third and last time at the end of the 20th century.

The property is in good condition and boasts on the outside the typical stone walls usually found on medieval fortresses, which have undergone several thickening works throughout the centuries to be able to resist to artillery shots in the early 15th century. The original battlements are perfectly maintained and protect an ancient patrol route on the ramparts. The façade boasts three beautiful lancet-arched windows.
On the inside, the building shows a neat contrast between exposed stone walls (mainly on the ground floor) and plastered walls (on the upper floors). The ceilings of the upper floors are supported by a beautiful system of wooden beams. On the ground floor, there are beautiful brick arches, an expedient to discharge the huge weight of the upper castle. Floors are covered in ancient terracotta blocks, perfectly maintained, while the staircase leading upwards starts with four stone steps, leaving then a way to brick steps, probably added after one of the restorations. Every room of the castle has a private fireplace, once the only way to heat the rooms, built both in bricks and stone.

This Medieval castle property is built on top of a hill, high on a series of fortified terraces along the slope. Just outside the main door, we can find a wooden pergola, perfect for al fresco dining and providing an unrivalled view over the surrounding countryside. In the garden are still visible the remaining walls of the ancient fortress, probably demolished between 1208 and 1235.
The roof of the castle, providing a wonderful view, is reached from the attic and is made up of a medieval patrolling path above the ramparts.

This Medieval castle property for sale in Tuscany offers quick and easy access to the most famous cities of Tuscany: a town with all the necessary services (17km; 25’), the medieval Siena (23km; 35’), the wine-city of Montalcino (49km; 1h), the Etruscan Volterra (57km; 1h 10’), the papal Pienza (62km; 1h 15’), the beautiful San Gimignano (64km; 1h 5’), the other wine-city of Montepulciano (77km; 1h 10’) and the Renaissance Firenze (95km; 1h 30’).

TYPE Medieval castle property for sale in Tuscany
CONDITION Habitable
LOCATION Hilltop, panoramic
MUNICIPALITY Siena
PROVINCE Siena
REGION Tuscany
SIZE 870 sqm (9361 sqft)
ROOMS 15+
BEDROOMS 6 (up to 7)
BATHROOMS 4+
FEATURES Stone walls, ancient terracotta floors, brick-built arches, stone staircase, brick-built staircase, patrolling path on the ramparts, panoramic view
LAND 99.6 hectares (92.1 ha woodland + 4.8 ha chestnut grove + 0.6 ha olive grove + 2.1 ha arable land, grazing land, unused land and garden)
GARDEN 9000 sq mt
ANNEXE Church, country house and storage house
POOL No
ELECTRICITY Already connected
WATER Well
GAS LPG
HEATING Radiators
TELEPHONE To be connected
NEAREST TOWNS
Town with services (17km; 25’), Siena (23km; 35’), Montalcino (49km; 1h), Volterra (57km; 1h 10’), Pienza (62km; 1h 15’), San Gimignano (64km; 1h 5’), Grosseto (65km; 1h), Montepulciano (77km; 1h 10’), Florence (95km; 1h 30’)
NEAREST AIRPORTS
Firenze Peretola (102km; 1h 20’), Pisa Galilei (147km; 2h), Bologna Marconi (184km; 2h 10’), Roma Fiumicino (234km; 2h 40’), Roma Ciampino (258km; 2h 50’)

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