In the last article, we mentioned the especially lovely Tuscan medieval walled town of Buonconvento, which makes for a perfect day trip idea if you have found a
luxury villa in Siena and are spending time exploring the wider province and all that it has to offer. If you are already in the area of Buonconvento and also have a particular penchant for the medieval, then we might additionally suggest swinging by Bibbiano Castle to see a lovely example of a Tuscan medieval castle while you are at it.
Bibbiano Castle is located in a particularly scenic part of
Tuscany that is also quite removed from mass tourism and the potential madness of crowds and queues. For those interested in a more relaxed type of travelling and a slower pace of life, it is an ideal destination. Named for the “bibbio”, or widgeon, an aquatic bird that lives in the area, the origins of a settlement at the castle date back to 850 when it was home to the Longobard count Guinigi di Reghinari during the time of Emperor Ludovico II. It was in possession of the Guiglieschi and then the Cacciaconti families until the 13th century, when it was handed over to the
Republic of Siena and re-fortified under their rule. After this is was destroyed but then rebuilt in the fifteenth century by its new owner the Cardinal Raffaello Petrucci, according to designs by the architect Baldassarre Peruzzi.