The Castle of Monalto is located east of Siena in an area known as La Berardenga in Chianti Tuscany.
Castello Monalto has a long history and there has been a castle on the site since the 6th century.
Montalto in Toscana overlooked an important medieval road that was a gateway to the Mediterranean Sea and was of great strategic importance to Siena because the castle was on the lands that border Siena and Florence and the city states were at war with each other for most of the time between 1201 and 1553.
In 1208 the Castle was badly damaged in the Battle of Monalto.
A new restoration was undertaken in the middle of the 19th century by Giuseppe Palmieri and completed by his son Antonio in 1908, in the neo-Gothic style. The defensive walls were rebuilt, the watchtower restored and a new gate tower was built to give entrance to the courtyard. Interior decorations were added to hallways and rooms, depicting the coats of arms of various families related to the Palmieris; a new church, was built and adorned with an altarpiece painted in the Renaissance style by Giuseppe Palmieri in 1853, showing the Madonna and Child flanked by two saints with the Castle of Montalto in the background.
Today the Castle of Monalto is a farm and agri-tourist business specialising in organic farming.
Montalto has ten comfortable self-catering homes, around the castle in the wooded hills of Central Tuscany.
The Castle of Montalto is in one of the loveliest and most unspoiled parts of the Chianti area of Tuscany, between Siena and Arezzo.
The homes can cater for up to 45 guests and is very well suited for groups, family reunions, events, as well as for couples and families with children.
The apartment La Loggia is a large 4-bedroom apartment that occupies the entire top floor of an old stone building within the castle walls and has beautiful views over the area.
It has a large living/dining room with a corner fireplace that can be used to grill meat and a dining table that can seat up to 12 people with a full kitchen with a dishwasher. There is ample seating space, and glass doors give access to a covered terrace that offers outdoor seating for 8, with sweeping views of the valley and the wooded hills.
The 4 bedrooms are in the four corners of the apartment so they all have windows on two sides. All bedrooms have their own bathrooms; In the three bedrooms, the beds can be used as a queen size bed or separated to 2 x singles; in the fourth bedroom the bed is a queen but cannot be separated.
The estate has private garden areas, laundry facilities, common rooms, a large swimming pool, a country tennis court, hiking trails and free wifi, all included in the rental price.
A buffet breakfast can be ordered in season and meals can be prepared on request.
Silence and peace and spacious views provide a restful retreat from the bustle of towns.
At Castello Montalto you can also participate on many activities on site.
Cooking Classes, Italian language classes, painting, hiking, horseback riding are all available to visitors and many more activities can be experienced around the area.
You will also be able to explore the nearby towns of Castelnuovo Berardenga and San Gusme.
In the historical centre of Castelnuovo Berardenga you’ll find is the impressive Vicolo dell’Arco, with its steep stone stairs that have a arch decorated with a beautiful bas-relief. Nearby is the Church of San Giusto and Clemente, built during the 19th century and which displays a Madonna with Child by a Sienese artist from the Renaissance.
You can also visit the Church of the Madonna del Patrocinio with its Madonna in painted and glazed terracotta from the 14th century which was found in the ruins of the castle where the Vicolo dell’Arco is today.
Another attraction nearby is the Villa Chigi Saracini, built in the 19th century and surrounded by a beautiful Italian Renaissance garden and an English landscaped park.
Further afield Siena is only 35 minutes away by car and Florence is only 1 and a half hours away for a longer daytrip.
The history and ambience of Castello Montalto make it one of the best Tuscany villas to rent.
You will have a great holiday in a wonderful location with great historic towns nearby and plenty of activities on hand to make your Tuscan adventure one that you will remember all your lives.
