7.7 Parishes, villas and castles
Opposite, a lower wall struggles to hold up a sprawling field. Above the arch of the gate, on the outside, an old and faded sundial, without iron. A taller arch, made of grey stones; sealed when the entrance was rebuilt. On either side, joined to the gate, begin two walls, dark red with some yellowish patches, and behind them, grapevines and olive trees. There was no sound at all; they stepped further into the middle of the road when suddenly they heard the clatter of a ladder placed by some peasant between the branches of a fig tree. One of the walls, past a wooden gate covered by a small double-sloping roof, ends at a sombre red building with narrow windows, leading to the Misericordia cemetery.
(F. Tozzi, Tre Croci)
Beyond Porta Tufi, you find yourself immersed, as if by magic, in the countryside, which literally caresses the walled city, creating a perfect osmosis between buildings and nature. This is one of the spells of a city that, in the twentieth century, managed to resist the disorderly aggression of brickwork that has unfortunately blighted so many other Italian towns.
ⒸAntonio Cinotti
From Porta Tufi, the road quickly descends to the bottom of the valley where it meets Via Massetana Romana, an artery on which you will cycle for about two kilometres and along which you must be very careful because of the dense motor vehicle traffic. Once on Strada di Pescaia, turn right onto Strada di Montalbuccio and pedal uphill for about two kilometres; a short stop is called for here to admire the distinctive skyline of Siena and then, at a junction in the middle of which there is a small church, follow the signs for ‘Belcaro’, a majestic fortified complex nestled in the green of a thick ilex grove and enclosed on all sides by imposing walls.
The road now proceeds downhill as far as Provincial Road 73, locality Fornace; bear right and continue for a couple of kilometres. Shortly after Costalpino, at the signpost for ‘Volte Alte’ (there is a small fountain), turn left. The road is slightly downhill and is paved for a short stretch; it passes the locality of Volte Alte and the beautiful Villa Chigi Farnese before rejoining the SP 73.
You have now reached the small village of Volte Basse, where you should continue in the direction of Rosia along the provincial road, which is flat for about two kilometres. After a short uphill stretch, turn right and follow the signs for ‘Sovicille’, whose municipal area is particularly rich in historical and architectural features (such as the presumed Neolithic sites of Montauto and Sienavecchia, Etruscan-Roman settlements, and over fifty medieval sites).
After a couple of kilometres, you will come to a fork in the road: to visit Sovicille, a village surrounded by 15th-century walls, you will have to travel two kilometres, one going there and one coming back, along the same road.
The place name Sovicille was first mentioned in 1123 as ‘Sufficille’ and seems to derive from the Latin sub (‘under’) and ficinulae (diminutive of ‘ficus’). Another and more fascinating interpretation, proposed by Prof. Enzo Nuti, a distinguished Latinist, was that it should be interpreted as Suavis Vicus Ille (‘That sweet place’, referring, perhaps, to the beauty of the site). Of course, both interpretations of the place name are difficult to support, especially because of that specific final ‘Ille’ which makes no sense in toponymy.
Once back, at the foot of the village, you can admire the splendid Pieve di San Giovanni Battista in Ponte allo Spino, undoubtedly one of the most interesting Romanesque buildings in the whole of the Sienese territory.
Proceed along the plain for about one kilometre, then follow the first road on the right, signposted ‘Caldana’ (note the presence of a drinking fountain). Here begins an interesting ring-route of about five kilometres, almost completely free of traffic, which will take you to, in quick succession, the Romanesque Pieve of San Giusto a Balli (dating back to the 10th century, it features a particular apse built with small travertine blocks, river pebbles, and brick fragments; it retains two of the three original naves separated by four arches resting on circular pillars and alternating limestone and brick, creating a splendid pinkish white colour scheme, also visible on the exterior walls), and the Castello di Poggiarello, built to defend the surrounding lands in the 16th century. Owned by the Chigi Saracini family, it was transformed into an aristocratic residence culminating in the construction of a Renaissance chapel (attributed to Baldassarre Peruzzi) in 1678 and dedicated to Prince Agostino Chigi.
Continuing on, you will come to the Villa di Toiano. Situated on the border between the municipality of Siena and Sovicille, to which it belongs, it has been recounting its history in great detail since the mid-17th century. The site on which it stands has been known since much earlier and marked, together with the Palazzaccio, the south-west border of the Republic of Siena.
Various magnate families of Siena succeeded one another in its possession: The Pini, the Savini, and the de’ Vecchi, the family that gave the villa its present appearance. In particular, Marcantonio built the villa as it appears today between 1698 and 1705. After him, no major changes were made to the rectangular layout with two floors above ground and one underground, positioned nearly opposite Sovicille, dominating the Ponte allo Spino plain and the beautiful scenery that can be enjoyed from there.
After a brief possession by Count Agostino Chigi Albani (1802–1839), the property was acquired by the Mieli, a powerful Jewish family that moved from Rome to Tuscany in the first decades of the 19th century. They modified the property, transforming the small chapel built by the Savini into stables and a coach house. They were also responsible for the current layout of the garden in 1890.
It remained in the possession of their descendants until 1940, when a period of frequent changes of hands began.
Since 1961, it has been the property of the Friscelli family.
Not far away, stands the ‘Palazzaccio di Toiano’, once the castle of the village of the same name, a clearly medieval structure of which clear traces still exist.
All these sites are located within a territory that extends to the borders between the municipalities of Siena and Sovicille, on the edge of the woods that cover the western side of the Montagnola Senese and the Rosia plain, a vast lowland determined by the Merse river that borders the centres of Sovicille and Rosia (the parish of San Giovanni Battista, documented as early as the 11th century, is worth mentioning) and where the small airport of Ampugnano is located.
At the end of the short loop, ride towards Siena, which is about 10 kilometres away. Pay attention to the traffic along the SP 73 from Volte Basse to the gates of the City of the Palio.
Porta Tufi
Porta dei Tufi, whose foundations were reportedly dug in 1247, is mentioned in various documents from the end of the 13th century; however, the present structure was built in the first half of the following century. As was often the case at the time, the walls connecting it with Porta San Marco were not completed until a century later, at the beginning of the 15th century, and the jubilation at the completion of such a long-awaited work was such that it was decided to celebrate with a lavish ‘colatione in su la toricella con buoni polli e buoni capreti e buoni vin’ (meal at the top of the turret with good chickens, good goats, and good wines), as the chronicler Paolo di Tommaso Montauri recounts. The turret above the round arch is still the characteristic feature of the gate today, although the bertesca and the machicolation were only restored between 1933 and 1936. On that occasion, the masonry infill of the upper part of the archway was removed and considerably enlarged, the two walkways to the side were opened, and the tollhouse was demolished.
Castello di Belcaro
ⒸSaiko
The castle, founded at the end of the 11th century by the prominent Marescotti family of Siena, was attacked and destroyed in 1376, as was the case with the most imposing fortifications and structures in the area, in one of the numerous battles fought there. After the Salimbeni and Salvini families rebuilt it, it was donated to St Catherine of Siena, who transformed it into the convent of Santa Maria degli Angeli. It was bought in the 16th century by the Sienese banker Crescenzio Turamini and renovated by the famous architect Baldassarre Peruzzi, who gave it its current appearance. In 1554, during the War of Siena, it was attacked by the imperial army of Charles V, who conquered it; inside is a plaque that commemorates the tragic event as well as some cannon balls still embedded in the walls. During the Second World War, Belcaro was seized by the Germans who turned it into a military hospital; when the war ended, the property was restored by the owner Giuseppe Lapo Barzellotti. There is a curious legend about the origin of the castle’s name: legend has it that the lady of the castle, while waiting for her lord to return from the war, strolled along the walls with her child in her arms; when she finally saw her husband, she opened her arms to him, causing the child to fall into the garden below. In despair, she cried out to her husband: ‘Sei bello, ma mi costi caro!’ (You are handsome, but you cost me dearly!), hence Belcaro.
Villa Chigi Farnese
The Villa, part of a vast estate now divided into different properties, is a typical example of a suburban villa designed for relaxation, perfectly integrated with the surrounding countryside. Sigismondo Chigi gave his name to the Villa in 1505, marking the end of the construction work. The Villa is characterized by the fact that it is oriented according to the cardinal points and has two ‘foreparts’ of different lengths that
enclose a courtyard open to the east and a portico on the opposite side. The general layout, with the courtyard incorporated in a U-shaped space, recalls similar designs by Francesco di Giorgio Martini. The structure of the façades and the architectural decoration are attributed to Baldassarre Peruzzi. The interior rooms are characterised by soffitti a volta (vaulted ceilings) (hence the name of the estate, Villa Chigi Farnese alle Volte) decorated with frescoes: on the ground floor, the most remarkable, there are mainly themes related to the rise of the Chigi family to cardinals and then popes. It is currently owned by the State and the Ministry of Cultural and Environmental Heritage, and its use was granted to the Università degli Studi di Siena (University of Siena) in 1990.
Parish church of San Giovanni Battista in Ponte allo Spino
It was in 1116 when Rodolfo, presbyter et plebano ex pieve de Suvicille (priest and pleban of the parish of Sovicille), rented a parcel of land from Gregorio, provost of the presbytery of Santa Maria di Siena, the present Pieve, whose history dates back to the early Middle Ages, as evidenced by some decorations carved on stones reused in the façade of the building. The recent discovery in the church courtyard of Roman mosaics dating back to the first century AD lends credence to the hypothesis that one of the first baptismal fonts in the Sienese area was built here. The religious complex is undoubtedly one of the most interesting in the whole of Tuscany. The layout is a basilica with three naves divided by four aisles, whose arches are supported by cruciform pillars, and ending with three apses. The roof is supported by trusses, though the side aisles are covered with cross vaults at the last bay, while the central one has a barrel vault raised above the rest of the roof. The capitals are carved with wickerwork, geometric designs, and human figures. On the façade, above the portal, there is a single-light window with a dragon and a human figure holding a lion on a leash. The bell tower appears to be older than the church, both because of the greater deterioration of the stone from which it is made and because its external decoration, consisting of small hanging arches and corner pilasters, also continues on a wall inside the church, as if it had a different layout from an earlier structure. In the courtyard to the right of the church, you can admire the remains of a small cloister and a palazzo that long accommodated the Sienese bishops during the summer season.
Siena Airport-Ampugnano
The airport was originally built in the 1930s as a military airport. At first, it was home to an important flying school, then, in the middle of the Second World War, it hosted the ‘103° Gruppo Caccia Bombardieri’ (103rd Fighter Bomber Group). Now converted for civil use, the airport is the seat of the Aeroclub of Siena, which uses school aircraft and predominantly operates commercial aviation traffic for private aircraft.
A different and more important use of the airport, involving the expansion of the structure, has recently been at the centre of a bitter debate that has led, for the moment, to the suspension of any action on the matter.