Castellina in Chianti: The Ancient Castle of San Leonino

f we head downhill from Castellina and go on past Fonterutoli, we eventually come to the ancient village of San Leonino in Conio, with the river Staggia lying to the east.
On the left we can catch a glimpse of the church of the same name, while on the right we can find the ancient
castle which, in spite of many alterations over the centuries, still maintains its mediaeval appearance, as if it would like to remind us of its past importance. We know in fact that this parish church had as many as 12 succursal churches under it in the 12th century.
These were S. Miniato at Fonterutoli, S. Michele at Rencine, S. Donato at Cerna, S. Bartolomeo at Godernano. With other parishes, it was transferred in 1592 to the diocese of Colle Val d‘Elsa, while documents tell us that the first alterations to be made on the castle took place in the 18th century and have continued to this day. The ancient keep appears to be imprisoned on three sides by the longer wing of the palace and this is the part that has been altered most. The two-light windows or 16th century windows that were very probably once here were closed and replaced with the long row of rectangular openings we can see today; the differences in the materials used for some areas of the walls lead us to think that they have been altered or repaired in various periods; some 20th century alterations can also be seen in the keep and the entrance doorway, in spite of the fact that this seems to be the best preserved part of the castle. The interiors are apparently furnished in late 19th to early 20th century style furniture, making it impossible to reconstruct the aesthetic tastes of the castle‘s furnishing over the centuries.

(Portions of this article first appeared in "Toscana & Chianti News")
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