PANEL 5

Villa di Castiglioni – Podere Palle

The complex of Villa di Castiglioni – Podere Palle, owned by the Frescobaldi family, is an important testimony to agricultural history between the 18th and 19th centuries.

Podere Palle constitutes the oldest part: probably present already in the 16th century, it originally served as the farmhouse and included both the “lord’s palace” where the owner resided and the production areas.

In the mid-17th century, Villa di Castiglioni was built, a residential complex intended for the owner’s stay. Podere Palle retained its function as a production complex closely connected to the villa, while the “palace” was downgraded to a “worker’s house,” the residence of the farming family overseeing the activities on behalf of the owner.

The 19th-century cartography of the Tuscan General Cadastre reproduces a complex similar to the 17th-century one, with an articulation into a residential villa and an attached farmhouse for production activities. The farm property, divided into ten large estates, extended both towards the Virginio Valley and the Pesa Valley. The type and distribution of cultivated land indicate a significant production of oil and, especially, wine during that period.

In the mid-20th century, Podere Palle partially lost its function, and almost all production areas were transferred to Villa di Castiglioni.