There are very few areas in the world where man's work is so harmoniously blended with nature as it is in Tuscany. If this delicate balance is, unfortunately, crumbling a bit near large urban centres, it is still surprisingly intact in the villages and countryside, where the expression "civil nature" which was handed down by primitive and Renaissance painters of the region continues to apply. Here at Castello Montegufoni, the rise and fall of the hills fade into the distance in shades of blue, giving a sense of space. On the typical Tuscan hilltops you can glimpse the towers of other castles, marked by a small grouping of cypress trees in contrast with the cultivated rolling hills and rocky gullies.

"A poor, bare countryside, without displays of colour, perfume and pagan ritual, but so intimate, so familiar, so suitable to delicate sensitivities and solitary thoughts", said Giovanni Papini.

Those who visit Florence admire her masterpieces by great Renaissance artists, but here you discover an exciting, sentimental and emotional atmosphere. The Castle still retains a certain medieval flavour which easily and quickly blends smoothly with Renaissance refinement and solidity.

Once you pass the imposing, stark façade, you discover the central courtyard which conveys a sense of primitive austerity, and as you pass into the halls illuminated by large windows, through the sequence of rooms and sloping gardens, a strong, brilliant and delicate life-force comes over you until you step into the 18th century hall which bathes in a wonderfully light atmosphere.


This is the sensation of a life in direct contact with questions of substance and spirit. There is an unexpected intensification of one's individuality: you suddenly find yourself outside the often grey routine of the everyday or false notoriety and instead feel an exciting and romantic contact with mysterious ties to history.