Castello di Verrazzano
The Castello di Verrazzano is a medieval castle near the town of Greve in Chianti . It is located on a hill 348 meters above sea level.
history
The hill fort was built between the end of the 15th and the beginning of the 16th century. It is believed that the striking tower dates back to the 13th century. In the 17th century, the complex became a classic Tuscan villa with a farm.
In 1485 Giovanni da Verrazzano was born in the castle, which belonged to the noble Florentine family Da Verrazzano . He made a name for himself as a seafarer and navigator who discovered the bay of what is now New York on his expedition to North America .
After the last descendant of the Verrazzano family died in 1819, the property came into the possession of the Florentine Ridolfi family. As chairman of the athletics federation, Luigi Ridolfi made the premises and grounds available to the Italian Olympic team from 1936 for training purposes.
Castello di Verrazzano has belonged to the Cappellini family since 1958. Under her leadership, extensive restoration measures were carried out and a modern winery was founded.
The winery
Wine has been grown around the Castello di Verrazzano for centuries. The Verrazzano vineyards are mentioned in a manuscript from 1170 kept in the library of the Passignano Abbey. The winery is famous to this day for its production of Chianti Classico wines .
Attractions
A chapel adjoins the castle, in which there is a table by Domenico Ghirlandaio .
The historic wine cellar dates from the 16th century and can only be visited as part of a guided tour.
literature
- Giovanni Righi Parenti Guida al Chianti, Milano, SugarCo Edizioni srl, November 1977
swell
Web links
- Literature by and about Castello di Verrazzano in the bibliographic database WorldCat
- https://www.verrazzano.com/
Coordinates: 43 ° 36 ′ 5.6 " N , 11 ° 17 ′ 6.8" E