CASTELLO DI GARGONZA IN TUSCANY

The Castle of Gargonza is located in Tuscany, 11 km from the Monte San Savino exit on the A1 motorway between Arezzo and Siena. The ‘borgo’ hamlet provides classic and superior apartments and rooms for Bed & Breakfast or self-catering accommodation. The total capacity of the village is 100 beds in 47 rooms. Guests can dine at the restaurant located just outside the fortified walls, which is open for both lunch and dinner and offers à la carte dining as well as half-board or full-board options. The restaurant is also open to external visitors exploring the village. The swimming pool overlooking the Val di Chiana is at the disposal of guests staying at the accommodation. The entire external part of the village is open to the public. For groups and guided tours, prior reservation is highly recommended, and this can be combined with a light lunch at our restaurant.

Gargonza is perfectly positioned for visitors wishing to visit the art cities of Siena and Arezzo, which are 35 and 28 km away, or the historic villages of Lucignano, Monte San Savino and Civitella, which are just a short distance from Gargonza. Cortona and Montepulciano are each a 45-km drive away.

It is possible to organise private events and business meetings in the conference hall in the ‘Frantoio’ (former Olive Press) or adjacent rooms. Gargonza is ideal for corporate team-building activities, with its 500 hectares of forest and the lake located 5 km from the village. At Gargonza, you can also go mountain biking or enjoy hikes on foot following our signposted trails, while horseback riding can be arranged with the nearby riding stable.

THE HISTORY OF CASTELLO DI GARGONZA

The Castello di Gargonza ‘Borgo’ dates back to the 13th century. In 1304, Dante Alighieri arrived at Gargonza, a fortified castle along the road between Arezzo and Siena. Owned by the Ubertini family, Gargonza was conquered by the people of Arezzo in 1285 and then sold to the Sienese for 4000 florins, before eventually passing into the hands of the Florentines in 1307. A statute dated 1440 recorded that Gargonza was a community that made use of the woodlands and produced wool during the course of the 15th century. From being under the rule of Florence, it then passed to the Lotteringhi della Stufa Marquises in 1546 and subsequently to the Corsi Marquises in 1696, forerunners of the current owners. In the 18th century, an organised farm was founded, which established the village and the thirteenth-century tower at its centre. After the rural exodus that began in the 1930s, Count Roberto Guicciardini Corsi Salviati began the work of recovering and transforming of the village in a bid to avoid witnessing its demise. It was a restoration project that focused on preserving the existing structures, thus maintaining the added value of authenticity still found today in the homes of Gargonza.

FACILITIES AND SERVICES: ACCOMMODATION, RESTAURANT AND PRIVATE EVENTS AT CASTELLO DI GARGONZA

At Gargonza Castle, we offer rooms and apartments that are located both inside and outside the hamelt. A buffet breakfast is served down in the former olive press, the Frantoio. Our restaurant, ‘La Torre di Gargonza’, under the same management, is open for lunch and dinner. Our guests can choose from an à la carte menu or opt for half-board. During the summer season, a bar for light lunches is set up in the ‘Pergola’ area by the swimming pool, as well as the ‘La Bottega di Gargonza’ wine bar, where we organise wine and cheese tastings.

For events, we have a conference room for 140 people with an auditorium layout, as well as 4 smaller meeting rooms with capacities ranging from 10 to 30 people. A communal lounge with a fireplace for the use of all guests is located inside Frantoio Hall. There are a number of different options regarding facilities for private events, including two gardens within the hamlet, two large green spaces in the pool area and a 500-hectare wooded estate with marked trails for walking, mountain biking or horseback riding. The parish church of SS. Tiburzio and Susanna in Gargonza can also perform religious ceremonies or, alternatively, one of the gardens can be used for symbolic ceremonies. The swimming pool just outside the walls is reserved exclusively for guests staying with us.