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Castles in Tuscany

Updated November 2026

Tuscany was fought over for centuries by city states such as Florence, Siena and Pisa, and the hills are still crowned with the castles and fortresses they built. The Medici later added massive fortresses to secure their rule.

Castello di Brolio in Chianti is closely tied to the history of Chianti wine, Poppi Castle dominates the Casentino valley, and the Rocca di Radicofani watches over the old Via Francigena on the way to Rome.

PrimeMap lists 1,131 castles and fortresses in Tuscany. Here are some of the best known.

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Castello di Brolio

Photo: Sailko · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Castello di Brolio

📍 Gaiole in Chianti, Siena

The Castello di Brolio is a rural castle, palace and gardens located in San Regolo, in the municipality of Gaiole in Chianti, about 20 km NE of Siena, region of Tuscany, Italy. The palace has belonged to the Ricasoli family for nearly 800 years. The castle was destroyed more than once during the wars between Siena and Florence.

Fortezza Medicea

Photo: LigaDue · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Fortezza Medicea

📍 Siena

Siena’s Fortezza Medicea (the Medici Fortress sometimes called the Fort of Saint Barbara) is a fort built in the city between 1561 and 1563 on the orders of Duke Cosimo, a few years before he became the first Grand Duke of Tuscany.

Castello dell'Imperatore

Photo: Sailko · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons

Castello dell'Imperatore

📍 Prato

The Castello dell'Imperatore is a medieval fortress located in Prato, Italy. It is a castle with crenellated walls and towers. The castle was built for the medieval emperor and King of Sicily Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, on top of a previous fortification of which two towers remain.

Poppi Castle

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Poppi Castle

📍 Poppi, Arezzo

Poppi Castle (Italian: Castello di Poppi, or the Castello dei Conti Guidi) is a medieval castle in Poppi, Tuscany, Italy, formerly the property of the noble Guidi family.

Fortezza Medicea (Volterra)

Photo: sailko · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Fortezza Medicea (Volterra)

📍 Volterra, Pisa

The Fortezza Medicea (Medici Fortress) of Volterra is built on the highest point of the hill overlooking the town. Despite its name, the origins of the fortress predate the ascendancy of the Medicis. The southern part was constructed at the command of Walter VI, Duke of Athens, who had been appointed governor of Florence in 1342.

Castello Pasquini

Photo: Unukorno · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Castello Pasquini

📍 Rosignano Solvay, Livorno

The Pasquini Castle (Italian: Castello Pasquini) stands in Castiglioncello, in the Comune of Rosignano Marittimo, near the railway station.

Bolgheri Castle

Photo: Janericloebe · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Bolgheri Castle

📍 Castagneto Carducci, Livorno

Bolgheri Castle (Italian: Castello di Bolgheri) is a castle located in Bolgheri, Tuscany, Italy.

Montegufoni Castle

Photo: This illustration was made by louis-garden. Please credit this : louis-garden An email to Louis-garden or a message here · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Montegufoni Castle

📍 Montespertoli, Florence

Montegufoni Castle (Italian: Castello di Montegufoni) is a castle located in Montespertoli, a comune in the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 20 kilometres (12 mi) southwest of Florence.

Verrucole Castle

Photo: MarcoPistolozzi · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Verrucole Castle

📍 San Romano in Garfagnana, Lucca

Verrucole Castle (Italian: Fortezza delle Verrucole) is a medieval fortress located in the Garfagnana region of Tuscany, Italy, in San Romano in Garfagnana comune, near the city of Lucca. It is 600 metres (2,000 ft) above sea level. The fortress has recently undergone partial restoration.

Castello di Montalto

Photo: sailko · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Castello di Montalto

📍 Castelnuovo Berardenga, Siena

The castle of Montalto lies east of Siena, Italy, in an area known as ‘la Berardenga’, which is an extensive territory in the Chianti region of Tuscany. Its position right on the border between the territories of Siena and Florence gave it great strategic importance during the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries.

Cittadella Nuova

Photo: Sailko · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Cittadella Nuova

📍 Pisa

The Cittadella Nuova (New Citadel), now called the Giardino di Scotto or Giardino Scotto (Scotto's Garden) is an old fortress in Pisa.

Fortezza della Brunella

Photo: Lorenzo Corio · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Fortezza della Brunella

📍 Aulla

La fortezza della Brunella è un'imponente fortificazione rinascimentale che si trova ad Aulla, in provincia di Massa Carrara, nella Lunigiana. La struttura domina Aulla e la confluenza del fiume Magra e del torrente Aulella.

Forte Filippo

Photo: Petitverdot: Matteo Vinattieri · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Forte Filippo

📍 Monte Argentario, Grosseto

Potente fortificazione costruita dagli spagnoli nel 1558. La sua pianta quadrangolare è irregolare con bastioni. Il Forte Filippo è un tipico esempio delle costruzioni militari dell'epoca sotto il regno del re Filippo II di Spagna, da cui prende il nome.

Castello della Magione

Photo: Thomashooker · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Castello della Magione

📍 Poggibonsi, Siena

The Castello della Magione (also Magione di San Giovanni al Ponte or Spedale di San Giovanni in Gerusalemme alla Magione) is a medieval castle in Poggibonsi (province of Siena, central Italy) that serves as the headquarters of the Militia Templi, an association of the Christian faithful belonging to the Roman Catholic Church.

Castle of Verrazzano

Photo: Alfredo Borba · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Castle of Verrazzano

📍 Greve in Chianti, Florence

The Castle of Verrazzano (Italian: Castello di Verrazzano) is located about a mile from the center of Greve in Chianti in Tuscany, Italy, and sits on a mountain spur above the River Greve. The castle dates back to an Etruscan, and then Roman, settlement.

Castello di Belcaro

Photo: Matteo Tani · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Castello di Belcaro

📍 Siena

The Castello di Belcaro is a Renaissance villa built at the site of a Castle once belonging to the Republic of Siena in Tuscany. It is located some 5.5 kilometers southwest of the Siena city gate of Porta San Marco, on the direction towards Grosseto, it is beyond a former benedictine monastery and church of Sant'Eugenio.

Castello di Oliveto

Photo: ehud · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Castello di Oliveto

📍 Castelfiorentino, Florence

Castello di Oliveto ("Castle of Oliveto" in English) is an ancient castle built in the 15th century by the Pucci family. The castle is in Castelfiorentino in the province of Florence.

How to find them

In the free PrimeMap app you will find all 1,131 places from this page on the map, with descriptions, photos and directions. Open the map wherever you are and see what is nearby.

App Store

Google Play

Descriptions: shortened excerpts from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, author and licence shown with each image. Locations: © OpenStreetMap contributors.

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