Even today, Cascina preserves its medieval aspect, witness to an age when it was subject to a tug-of-war between Pisa and Florence. One of many battles over Cascina was fought on 28 July 1364, and the participating Pisan and Florentine troops were sketched out in a few drafts by Michelangelo, which were meant to be converted into frescoes in Florence's Palazzo Vecchio. But the great artist got no further than the drawings, which, sadly, are now lost.
The history of Cascina, however, certainly goes back at least to the Romans, who designed it to their typical castrum form. In the Middle Ages, work began on the buildings that we see today, most notable of which are the thirteenth-century walls - only partly still standing - and their twelve towers.
