Radicofani is a Tuscan village with origins now known like many of the Tuscan villages that date back to the Etruscan civilization.
The fortress that we see today was built in the 16th century by the Carolingians and dominates the entire territory between Mount Cetona, the Val d’Orcia and Mount Amiata.
Passed “from hand to hand”, depending on the historical period and the authority of the moment, we see Radicofani being the property of the Church in 1153, being located next to the Via Francigena.
In the Middle Ages, however, Cosimo Dè Medici, brought a modernization to the fortress thanks to the intervention of a well-known architect.
Radicofani is strongly linked to a historical figure, also mentioned in the Divine Comedy and the Decameron, for his exploits as “our local Robin Hood” namely Ghino di Tacco; he was a gentleman bandit who took over the castle and for several years, made it the base for his raids for good.
The castle today houses the Museo del Cassero, which also houses archaeological finds from the Etruscan Age to the 16th century and reconstructs the long history of the fortress and its restorations.
Today the castle has been transformed into the Museo del Cassero, which also houses archaeological finds from the Etruscan Age to the 16th century.
It is possible to visit the underground passages, the shooting ranges, the bastions and the walkways on the walls and a spectacular view visible from the top of the tower of the keep, at 1000 meters above sea level, where the gaze is lost over the hills, a UNESCO heritage site of the Val d’Orcia.
CONTIGNANO
Contignano is a hamlet of Radicofani and one of the most suggestive villages because thanks to its strategic position, it is possible to admire the Val d’Orcia.
The village is surrounded by grazing meadows and countryside full of vineyards and vegetable gardens, with the streets lined with the typical cypress trees, symbol of Tuscany.
The clay hills around frame a typical landscape as a whole.
The origins of Contignano are very ancient and certainly predate the construction of the Abbadia San Salvatore on Monte Amiata.
The ancient town of Contignano is made up of the medieval Castle and a Village outside the walls.
The Castle still maintains the two access gates, one next to the Torrione, the ancient Keep, and the other along the walls to the north.
The perimeter walls are now part of the buildings themselves and inside the castle, there are two main streets and several alleys, a beautiful square with a well where a beautiful fifteenth-century noble palace and the keep tower overlook.
Outside the Castle there is a small village with the Chapel of S. Rocco and a noble building which was the Commenda of the Lords Bellandi, which also belonged to the Order of S. Stefano.
ABBADIA SAN SALVATORE
From the name we know that the village was born for the presence of the ancient Benedictine abbey and it is the wonderful medieval village from which it takes its name.
The abbey was consecrated in 792 while the Church dates back to 1035 with other modifications that occurred in the 17th century.
Inside the abbey, crossing the cloister, you arrive at a museum of sacred art, which houses numerous treasures including a Scots-Irish reliquary dated 6th-7th century, which contains relics that appear to belong to San Colombano, the copy of the Amiatina Bible and the reliquary of San Marco Papa, over 60 cm high and dating back to the end of the 14th century.
The village also preserves the memory of one of the most tiring but important jobs in history, in fact we find the Mining Museum Park, particular for the extraction of cinnabar.
The visit to the museum is divided into 4 routes:
• Mercury Route: it is divided into the structures where mercury was worked and produced.
• Miner Route: it is dedicated to the daily life of miners and the environments they frequented.
• Director Route: allows you to visit the support services for extraction and transformation activities, such as the warehouses, stables, canteen and the director’s villa.
• Archaeology Route: will take you to discover everything that surrounds the mining area.
A route has also been created that winds through 3 areas:
a multimedia museum established in 2016
a documentary museum that is spread over 5 rooms
the Level VII Gallery, a unique experience that will allow you to climb into the miners’ wagon and walk 250 meters in the gallery, where the miners’ work environments are reconstructed.
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