Castiglioni
Castiglioni: a location in the heart of Tuscany
Castiglioni, also known as Castiglion di Poggibonsi, is a picturesque location situated in the municipality of Poggibonsi in the province of Siena, Tuscany. Below, we present a brief guide to getting to know Castiglioni and its attractions.
Physical geography
Located south of the capital, Castiglioni is located on the border between the municipal territory of Poggibonsi and the northern urban area of Colle di Val d'Elsa. It is bathed to the south by the Elsa River and crossed by the former state road 68 of Val Cecina, which connects Poggibonsi to Volterra. The village is 7 km from the city of Poggibonsi and about 25 km from Siena.
History
Castiglioni has an ancient and fascinating history. It was first mentioned in a donation from 998 to the Abbey of San Michele Arcangelo in Marturi by the Marquis Ugo of Tuscany. This document refers to the presence of a church dedicated to San Michele in the area. Later, Castiglioni was under the dominion of the Guidi counts, to whom it was confirmed in the imperial privileges of Henry VI of Swabia and Frederick II of Swabia. In the territory of Castiglioni were also included the people of Galognano, with the church of Sant'Ansano, and above all the nucleus of Rocchetta, with the church of San Tommaso and the tower transformed into a manor house by the Tolomei of Siena and sold to the Englishman Giovanni Acuto in 1383. In 1833, the village had 128 inhabitants.
Monuments and places of interest
The most interesting building in the locality is the church of Santa Maria Maddalena, already present in the Early Middle Ages with the title of San Michele, then rebuilt in the fourteenth century. After being abandoned for many years, the church was restored in the 2000s and returned to worship. The building has a single-nave plan with a rectangular base and a stone masonry structure. The church is located in a raised position compared to the other buildings of the village, as it is accessed from a staircase that goes up to the square. The gabled facade is the result of an overlapping as the right side was added to allow the construction of the sacristy. The entrance portal is surmounted by a pointed arch lunette, while a small sail bell tower sits on the roof.
Castiglioni also has its own cemetery.
Anthropic geography
The locality is composed of the two nuclei of "Castiglioni Alto", in a raised position, and "Castiglioni Basso", which instead develops along the northern banks of the Elsa River.
Conclusions
Castiglioni is a location worth visiting. Its church of Santa Maria Maddalena is an example of Tuscan medieval architecture, and the village is an oasis of tranquility immersed in nature. And if you are looking for other attractions to visit near Castiglioni, there are certainly options such as Bellavista (Poggibonsi), Cedda (Poggibonsi), Lecchi di Staggia, Luco (Poggibonsi), Papaiano, Staggia Senese and Talciona.
