Fortress in Civitella Val di Chiana
Within the medieval town is one of the best examples of fortified architecture in Tuscany
The fortress in Civitella Val di Chiana is one of the best conserved pieces of the fortifications of Lombardic origins and was built between the 6th and 7th centuries on this high land, straddling the Val d’Ambra and the Valdichiana, as this was a good strategic point to control central Italy.
The town is surrounded by a medieval oval wall, punctuated by square towers and which an access door called Aretina, which joins it to the building of the Fortress, built in 1200, at the behest of the Bishop of Arezzo, Guglielmino degli Ubertini. The fortress is a classic example of an enclosed castle in a square shape with a keep that stands in the western corner. The main features of the building like the portal with the pointed arch, the low arched windows and the use of materials and techniques which had never been used before at that time, make it a prime example of fortified architecture.
Its current state is a result of its complete destruction by the German army, which arrived in Civitella Val di Chiana in 1944 and damaged much of the town.
