Montemassi Castle

The town, with the ancient gate, dominated by the castle.	The south tower .

The castle of Montemasi rises in the council of Roccastrada, province of Grosseto, on a hill  280m. High at the borders of the northern part of the grossetana lowland . It is reached by North following the speedway Florence-Siena and continuing then on SS.223 toward Grosseto. Its around 23 kms. far from the exit 'Civitella Marittima' of the speedway.

The  castle viewed from the valley.

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The castle is without doubt the most famous monument of the commune of Roccastrada, for its importance of historical document (it was represented on the famous fresco situated in the public palace in Siena attributed to Simone Martini) and for the high example of Gothic style architecture that represents. The fortification, that crowns the hill above the little suburb,  is constituted by two principal parts, at north there's the keep with numerous windows, loopholes and the rests of a polygonal tower, of which the external coverage and the attics of the vain insides were probably in wood. The building also entertained a big cistern for the water. To south we find the rests of the tower with loopholes on its walls and rests of fine internal masonry works.

Montemassi is remembered for the first time in history in the year 1076 as ownership of a certain Count Ildebrando. During the 13th century the castle belonged to the possessions of the powerful Aldobrandeschi family and, between the numerous fortresses that they possessed in the Maremma, it was one of their greatest points of strength. In 1306 the castle wad subdued to the Pannocchieschi family that had numerous territories in the northwestern part  of the country. In the year 1328, with the support of Castruccio Castracani of the Antelminelli, the castle rebelled to Siena but the strongest  Senese army conquered, after a long siege, the fortress and recovered its possession (this is the event celebrated by the fresco of the public palace in Siena above named). The Republic gave the castle in lordship to the Salimbeni family (see also Rocca of Tentennano); they lost it in 1375 after a failed rebellion against the central power.

Particular of the fresco in the Public Palace in Siena, on the left was represented the Castle of Montemassi.

Subsequently the castle was sold, and maintained then for seven years, to Mino Verdelli for 800 florins; passed again to the Republic of Siena, in 1404 was decided to dismantle the fortification, to avoid that some rebels reelected it as base to oppose the Senese domains.
Ferdinando II of Tuscany, with a document of September 19th 1632, assigns Montemassi in fief  to Giovanni Cristofani Malaspina da Mulazzo. April 7th 1770 The Malaspina sell the castle to the Marquis Domenico Cambiaso da Genova and the castle was allowed to go slowly in ruin. Today the whole complex lies in a state of heavily degrade, despite has been recently brought some excavations (punctually interrupted!) to its inside.

The historical center of Montemassi is very picturesque and still maintain today the aspect of a compact medieval suburb to 'pine-cone' form;  there are no more traces of the city walls, at exception of a gate, that once were connected with castle.