DESCRIPTION

The Castle was built in the XII century by the religious Ugolino da Rocchione along the Via Francigena to give shelter to the wayfarers and pilgrims traveling to Rome and this is the reason why the castle has this name “Spedaletto” that is an old italian word that means “little shelter”.

King Philip II of France was the first to mention the Castle Spedaletto in his memoirs during the return journey from the Third Crusade in 1191. In 1236 Spedaletto castle passed under the administration of the Hospital “Santa Maria della Scala” in Siena and we has track as “Spedale del Ponte dell’Orcia” thanks to the proximity to the old bridge over the river Orcia, today only ruins remain in the waters. A century later the castle was transformed into a “grancia”, a fortified farm that was intended to keep the harvests and administer this portion of Val d’Orcia, walls and towers were added in this period.

Thanks to the numerous donations, the castle reached such a reputation that famous people like Charles II the Lame and Pope Pius II stayed here.

Click here and check the room of our Agriturismo at Spedaletto Castle