Castelvecchio (San Gimignano)

Castelvecchio di San Gimignano was a settlement in the comune of San Gimignano, now in ruins. It can be reached on a trail marked by the CAI (Italian Alpine Club).

The area was already inhabited in Etruscan times, when it may have been a sort of sacred rock. In Roman times the area, far from the main roads, appears to have been uninhabited. It was settled again between the late 6th and early 7th century. In the Lombard period the Valdelsa grew economically because it was crossed by an important route linking southern Tuscany with Piedmont and Lombardy through the Cisa pass, avoiding the territories held by the Byzantines. The Via Francigena later developed along this route.

In the Lombard period Castelvecchio was the site of a fortification. Later, in the 12th century, it took on its present layout and became a free comune.

Although very close to San Gimignano, Castelvecchio was, more or less willingly, under the authority of the bishop of Volterra. This was because of San Gimignano's designs on the village: to avoid being conquered, its inhabitants accepted Volterra's protection. It was not just a military matter: Volterra wanted to dominate the area and was happy to support such a strategic castle with troops and money to counter the rising power of San Gimignano. This lasted until 1227.

Despite Volterra's heavy interference, the comune kept its self-government.

Text: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · translated from Italian