The fortified fortress of Castellina in Chianti

The fortress of Castellina in Chianti was fortified only from the beginning of the 15th century. Previously, in fact, it had undergone occupation by the troops led by Giangaleazzo Visconti. This is why the Florentines decided to carry out defensive works, since the village was on the border with the Sienese enemies. The work of Santa Maria del Fiore took care of the work, which had massive walls interspersed with towers and the central keep. Under the walls there are basement walkways, of which the most famous is called 'via delle volta'. Once there were also two doors, but today they have been destroyed. The stone used was mostly sandstone, together with the alberese. The works were completed around the middle of the fifteenth century and the fortifications proved immediately effective, managing to withstand a siege of 44 days by the Sienese. The municipality acquired the wall complex in the 1920s and carried out some restoration works according to the criteria of the time. Thus the bell tower, the bertesche and the battlements were built, as well as an internal space called the captain's room, now home to the Archaeological Museum of the Sienese Chianti.