Top 8 Castles around Castelnuovo Di Val Di Cecina

Perched on a rocky spur in the Cecina valley, the Rocca di Berignone, also known as the Bishops' Castle or Torraccia, is a place that smells of history and legend. Already mentioned in 896, it was a bastion of the episcopal power of Volterra, a refuge and symbol of resistance in the struggles against the Municipality. Besieged, rebellious, conquered by the Sienese in 1399, it then began its slow decline. Today, its imposing ruins emerge among the woods of Berignone, silent witnesses of a tumultuous past, framed by a landscape that still retains a wild and fascinating aura.

Medieval documentation reports the area where the castles of Rocchette and Cugnano stood, with the name of "Piastraio" and probably refers to the territory delimited to the NW by the Milia stream, to the south by the Fosso Riotorto and to the east by the Poggio di Santa Croce. Some studies report around 90 mineral extraction points in this area, exploited during the medieval period, including sinkholes, mine entrances, fields and mining quarries. The mining area of the Rocchette castle is represented by sinkholes that surrounded the site, which are still recognizable today among the vegetation together with slag dumps and trenches. Presumably the mineralizations present in the deposits were: Galena argentifera, Chalcopyrite, Blenda, Tetrahedrite and Pyrite, to obtain mainly from their fusion: silver, copper, iron and lead. The remains of the mining castle are located on a 450 m hill, separated by a ditch from the southern slope of Poggio Trifonti. The excavations carried out from 1992 to 2001 by the University of Siena brought to light traces of settlements and a mineral processing area dating back to the 10th century. In the summit area, the remains of a wall where the noble part of the castle was probably located can still be seen, while around there are traces of other buildings consisting of the ruins of semi-rock structures, which belonged to the most ancient configuration of the town. The castle was surrounded by defensive walls around 1300 and numerous buildings were built, after Massa secured dominion over the castle itself and the mineral resources of the area. rocchetteThe reconstruction is also supported by an ancient fourteenth-century seal preserved in Florence at the Bargello Museum, where the rock mass on which the 5 gates, the 2 towers and the walls that surrounded it are perched are recognisable. The site was abandoned in the first half of the 15th century and now remains an evocative place not only for its history, but also for the superb panorama that opens up to the sea and the islands of the Archipelago.

Castello dei Vesovi or Torraccia a stupendous place that takes you back to the past. The castle known as Rocca di Berignone (from the name of the forest where it is located, a large forest complex that still today presents itself to the eyes of the visitor in its suggestive natural beauty), Castello dei Vescovi or simply Torraccia, is an important fortified site located south of Volterra, on a rocky spur at the confluence of the Botro al Rio with the Sellate torrent, in the upper Cecina valley. Traces of the castle emerge as early as 896, when it was donated by Adalberto, Marquis of Tuscany, to Alboino, Bishop of Volterra. Since then it was a stronghold and residence of the bishops of Volterra (hence the name), used to administer justice, to mint coins but above all as a refuge during their long struggle against the Commune. The bishops retreated there several times to avoid reprisals, such as in 1266, after the Guelph victory of Benevento, to escape the assault of the Ghibellines. In 1361 Berignone rebelled against the municipality of Volterra, but was easily reconquered. In 1381, the inhabitants of Berignone themselves wanted to place the defense of the castle, occupied by the relatives of Simone dei Fagani of Reggio, bishop of Volterra, under the protection of the municipality. Numerous other disputes ensued until the peace stipulated on February 5, 1382. In 1399, the castle was occupied by the Sienese and from that moment its definitive decline began. Today, only the ruins remain, dominating vast woods populated by ungulates and birds of prey, but even from these one can intuit the strength and severe elegance of the architectural structures of the past.

https://castellitoscani.com/sillano/

https://castellitoscani.com/berignone-vescovi/

The castle of Fosini is located on a high hill, immersed in the woods of the Cornate Nature Reserve.

Canneto is a fraction of the Italian municipality of Monteverdi Marittimo, in the province of Pisa, in Tuscany. The village is located between the Val di Cornia and the Val di Cecina, surrounded by woods and Mediterranean scrub. The town of Canneto owes its origin, like that of Monteverdi, to the foundation of the abbey of the monastery of San Pietro in Palazzuolo, in fact it is mentioned as one of the fiefs of the abbey of Monteverdi. Canneto still has an ancient medieval wall that surrounds the town, with numerous tower-houses inside and has a particular elliptical urban shape. The streets in the walls are all named after the kings of Italy. Also present is the home of a cousin of Giosuè Carducci where the same poet stayed. In the village there is also the medieval church of San Lorenzo. (by Wikipedia)

Strict and closed, but very original looking mountain village with castle character.