Castello di Oliveto

One of the most beautiful castles in Tuscany

The Castello di Oliveto is a manor built in 1424 at the behest of the Pucci nobles of Florence, designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, the famous architect who conceived the dome of the Florentine cathedral. Surrounded by a forest of holm oaks and a fertile agricultural estate, the Castello di Oliveto has the appearance of a fortified villa, built as a summer residence, to garrison the Pucci properties but above all as a Florentine bulwark against Sienese rivals. Of this defensive vocation remain the four corner towers, of the high walls with Guelph battlements, and the patrol walkway from which today, one enjoys a spectacular 360-degree view of the surrounding countryside.

Inside, an elegant courtyard with sgraffito-decorated walls and spectacular rooms entirely frescoed. One of the most beautiful castles in Tuscany, over the centuries it has hosted numerous illustrious personages such as the three popes who have slept there – Leo X Medici, Clement VII Medici and Paul III Farnese – the King of Italy Victor Emmanuel III and during the Second World War General Clark, commander of the Fifth American Army.