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Castles

Italy

Tuscany

Pisa

Volterra

Rocca di Berignone (Castle of the Bishops)

Discover
Places to see

Castles

Italy

Tuscany

Pisa

Volterra

Rocca di Berignone (Castle of the Bishops)

Rocca di Berignone (Castle of the Bishops)

Recommended by 14 mountain bikers

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    Location: Volterra, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy

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    Best Mountain Biking Routes to Rocca di Berignone (Castle of the Bishops)

    4.7

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    21

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    1. Viewpoint at Caprareccia – Le Venelle Picnic Area loop from Volterra

    26.4km

    03:04

    870m

    Expert mountain bike ride. Good fitness required. Advanced riding skills necessary. Some portions of the route may require you to push your bike.

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    5.0

    (1)

    14

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    2. Volterra – Grande Cretto di Staccioli loop from Volterra

    48.8km

    04:44

    1,150m

    Expert mountain bike ride. Very good fitness required. Suitable for all skill levels.

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    5.0

    (3)

    18

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    3. Viewpoint at Caprareccia – Forest Singletrack Trail loop from Volterra

    35.7km

    04:15

    1,150m

    Expert mountain bike ride. Very good fitness required. Advanced riding skills necessary. Some portions of the route may require you to push your bike.

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    Tips

    January 29, 2025

    Perched on a rocky spur in the Cecina valley, the Rocca di Berignone, also known as the Bishops' Castle or Torraccia, is a place that smells of history and legend. Already mentioned in 896, it was a bastion of the episcopal power of Volterra, a refuge and symbol of resistance in the struggles against the Municipality. Besieged, rebellious, conquered by the Sienese in 1399, it then began its slow decline.

    Today, its imposing ruins emerge among the woods of Berignone, silent witnesses of a tumultuous past, framed by a landscape that still retains a wild and fascinating aura.

    Translated by Google •

      June 2, 2023

      castellitoscani.com/berignone-vescovi

        April 13, 2024

        Castello dei Vesovi or Torraccia a stupendous place that takes you back to the past.

        The castle known as Rocca di Berignone (from the name of the forest where it is located, a large forest complex that still today presents itself to the eyes of the visitor in its suggestive natural beauty), Castello dei Vescovi or simply Torraccia, is an important fortified site located south of Volterra, on a rocky spur at the confluence of the Botro al Rio with the Sellate torrent, in the upper Cecina valley.

        Traces of the castle emerge as early as 896, when it was donated by Adalberto, Marquis of Tuscany, to Alboino, Bishop of Volterra. Since then it was a stronghold and residence of the bishops of Volterra (hence the name), used to administer justice, to mint coins but above all as a refuge during their long struggle against the Commune. The bishops retreated there several times to avoid reprisals, such as in 1266, after the Guelph victory of Benevento, to escape the assault of the Ghibellines. In 1361 Berignone rebelled against the municipality of Volterra, but was easily reconquered.

        In 1381, the inhabitants of Berignone themselves wanted to place the defense of the castle, occupied by the relatives of Simone dei Fagani of Reggio, bishop of Volterra, under the protection of the municipality. Numerous other disputes ensued until the peace stipulated on February 5, 1382. In 1399, the castle was occupied by the Sienese and from that moment its definitive decline began. Today, only the ruins remain, dominating vast woods populated by ungulates and birds of prey, but even from these one can intuit the strength and severe elegance of the architectural structures of the past.

        Translated by Google •

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          Elevation 230 m

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          Sunday 21 September

          29°C

          17°C

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          Max wind speed: 4.0 km/h

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          Location: Volterra, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy

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