S.Leolino Castle

The rests of the Keep and of the Main gate.

The rests of S.Leolino castle are in the council of Londa, along the ancient road that connects the valley of the river Mosca with the Casentino through the Consuma pass. The castle rises in dominant position to the height of the suburb of Vierle.

The castle of S.Leolino rises on a hill of almost 600 meters high along the road that connects Londa to the fraction of Vierle, in the valley of the river Moscia. In the Middle Age the whole zone was fief of the counts Guidi of Battifolle. They erected more than a fortification at control of the important communication road that from here brought to the Casentino valley. Of all these castles S.Leolino is the one that still preserve the most imposing rests of its medieval aspect, the others are definitely disappeared or transformed in villas with no more traces of the ancient fortifications. The presence of the fortress of S.Leolino is testified since the year 1100 and its importance is confirmed by the fact that it also gave the name to the surrounding county that was given in fief from the Florentine Republic to the count Guido, child of the count Ugo of Battifolle, in the year 1367.

After the rebellion of the aforesaid count against Florence, the area returned under the Florentine control and was placed under the Vicariato of Poppi. Fearing a return of the defeated family the castles of Vicorati and S.Leolino, the most important, were destroyed in 1375 and it doesn't result have been subsequently readapted for war purpose. The situation remained unchanged until the middle of the 17th century, when the fief passed for law of succession to Ortensia di Francesco Guadagni, that to administer the territory erected a building at little distance from the castle, already in large part ruined.

This building was then transformed in a villa from the following owners Dufour-Berte. The ruins of the castle are very suggestive and it's still possible to have a idea of its past power. Stupendous is the powerful keep with polygonal form and beveled angles that still risen between the remnants of the enclosure walls, it can be considered one of the highest and rare examples of medieval fortification of such aspect. The underground of the castle have been invaded by the water filtered by a stratum, creating a kind of lake and increasing so the particularity of the place. The legend wants that from here departed a tunnel dug in the rock connected to the other near castles.

The area where the castle rises is private and fenced, belonging to the lands of the aforesaid villa. The ruins are not free visible, but it is possible to convince the farmer that has in care the grounds to let you explore the evocative ruins.