Montalto Castle

The castle of Montalto is easily reacheable from Siena following the indications for Castelnuovo Berardenga/Arezzo along SS73 and then on the S540 toward Monastery of Ombrone

The origins of Montalto are uncertain, probably it has risen on the site of an ancient Etruscan settlement. The original nucleus of the castle, at dominion of the important Roman road that crossed the whole Valdambra up to the Valdarno, was built by the counts of the Berardenga, descending from Winigisio, a vassal of Charles Magno, responsible also of the construction of the near monastery of Fontanabuona, that then became Abbadia San Salvatore of Ombrone.

Perhaps the castle existed already in the 9th century, even if the first documents that concern it are dated 1063. Stronghold on the border between the Sienese and Florentine territory, always faithful to Siena in the secular argument, the castle of Montalto was destroyed and reconstructed more times: great were the damages caused by the Battle of Montalto, fought here in 1208, during which the Florentines, on the way home from the siege of Montepulciano, levelled the castle to the ground. The Sienesis rebuilt Montalto immediately, in documents of the year 1266 it is again mentioned as 'walled castle', and the castle remained ownership of the Berardenga family up to the 15th century, when its strategic importance decreased. In this century Montalto was englobed in the possessions of the Sienese Republic and in 1456 it was granted in fief to Giovanni Palmieri whose family, between alternate circumstances, maintained the control of it until the year 1572.

Until the beginning of our century the castle didn't suffer destructions or great restorations, and slowly becomed a rural construction. The today's aspect is due to the reconstruction in style that brought Montalto to its the ancient shine the tall and mighty tower of entry, the embattled walled curtains, the chapel, the two gates (still endowed with breteche) and the great palace, formerly keep of the ancient castle. In the years '60 of this century the phenomenon of depopulation of the countries interested also this area: today Montalto is inhabited only from the actual owners and some dependent of the homonym agricultural firm and agrituristical estate.