The Castle of Barbischio dominates the village of Gaiole In Chianti.

In 1200, together with the nearby Montegrossi, Vertine and Meleto, Barbischio was part of the Florentine defences of this area of Chianti, bordering the Sienese domains, with the main function of lookout thanks to its high tower.

Later, like many castles in the area, Barbischio also became a possession of the powerful Ricasoli family.

At the foot of the castle is the Molino di Barbischio, a complex with medieval features from which a tower emerges and other notable architectural elements can also be seen, such as an arched portal and corbels of protruding apparatus.

In the village there is also the parish church dedicated to San Jacopo.

Around Barbischio, the ancient roads that lead from one part of the municipality to the other wind their way: paths immersed in the woods, kingdom of fallow deer, wild boar and Cinta Senese pig farms. A road leads to Montegrossi, a small village surmounted by the ruined tower of the year one thousand, while from the opposite side, you can reach both Valdarno and Monte Luco.

San Gusmé is a small fortified village a few kilometres from Castelnuovo Berardenga. From the top of its hill dominates the valley below where on the horizon you can easily recognize Siena. Founded in the late Middle Ages at the end of the fourteenth century, San Gusmè has always been under the influence of Siena and it followed its fate with the annexation to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.

Part of the original structure remains today of the mighty fortification walls, even if partially incorporated in the buildings of the village, and the two entrance gates.

San Gusmè is still today an example of a fortified village, roughly circular in shape, bounded by walls that still exist in part.

At the entrance of the village there is an interesting terracotta statuette depicting a man intent on carrying out his daily needs. Next to the statue is written “king, emperor, pope, philosopher, poet, farmer and worker: the man in his daily functions. Don’t laugh, think of yourself“.

The legend linked to the statuette seems to have originated at the end of the nineteenth century, when the landlord of the village, tired of having to clean the dirt of his rude patrons, built an outside room with the inscription Public Bath. But since the customers were illiterate no one used it and the problem of dirt and bad smell remained. So he decided to make a figurine representing a man squatting for his own needs. People finally understood the use of the closet and the place came back clean. The statuette was named “Luca Cava“.

In the heart of the Chianti countryside, in a landscape where art, history and nature coexist, you come across a country of ancient origins and a thousand suggestions. Villa a Sesta is the typical and picturesque Chianti village in the municipality of Castelnuovo Berardenga located along the provincial road that leads to Brolio.

The Church of Santa Maria a Villa a Sesta has been remembered since the 8th century as a suffragan of the Pieve di San Felice. The current building, however, is the result of a complete rebuilding and subsequent transformations dating back to the 19th century. On the side altars, contained within the relevant chapels, there are the wooden statue of the Madonna col Bambino, attributed to Jacopo della Quercia, and the painting of Santa Caterina, of the 18th century.

Walking along the streets of the village it is easy to get to the final part of the village Villa a Sesta which allows you to enjoy a 360° panoramic view of Chianti and Siena. That’s where we are!