ピオンビーノの洞窟・トップ8

The fortification of Suvereto was commissioned by the Aldobrandeschi family, who already held public rights over Populonia, and who moved the administrative center of their holdings to the area. The original settlement consisted primarily of wooden huts and a few rough, unworked stone buildings. The first walled nucleus of the complex consists of a quadrangular tower, a structure more defensive than residential, most likely built around 1164. The walls are made of worked stone arranged in horizontal, parallel rows, with arrow slits at various heights along the walls. At the same time, the village also developed along the terraces of the hill, with a curvilinear shape of concentric rings.

beautiful Tuscan village, easily reachable with a not too challenging climb

Populonia is situated high above the sea, from up here you have a wonderful view. It is a very old Etruscan town. You can still sense its important past when you look at the magnificent buildings.

The tower is the ancient gate of the city, it was built in 1212 at the behest of Rinaldo Orsini, lord of Piombino. In 1447 it was modified, with the insertion of another structure, the Rivellino, which was added to improve the artillery defense. Currently only the 15th century part and the arch, built in the mid-19th century, are open to the public.

The high tower is the oldest part of the complex and dates back to 1212, when Piombino was a free commune, the only surviving evidence of that period. It is where the city's land gate opened, which was rebuilt in the 15th century. The tower, also called the Tower of Sant'Antonio or Porta Inferi, was probably equipped with one or more bells in the highest part, under the arch, to be used on special occasions or in times of danger. At the beginning of the 15th century, the forecourt and a front door were added, on which there is still a plaque dated 1417. The ravelin was placed around the tower to protect it from artillery, but the date of construction is uncertain. Although the plaque that attributes its construction to Rinaldo Orsini indicates the year 1447, numerous construction elements, including the access door in lateral position, the proportions of the shoe and the muzzles, lead us to a dating between 1470 and 1504. The same tufa quarry material from the quarries of Populonia was used, which had also been used to build the Etruscan works in the area. The Rivellino has a semicircular shape and dates back to the reign of Rinaldo Orsini, husband of Caterina Appiani, when the siege of Alfonso V of Aragon was successfully thwarted. It must once have been surrounded by a moat and equipped with a drawbridge.

In the 12th-13th centuries The Torrione was built in the 18th century and later equipped with arches again in 1848. In 1447 the Rivellino was built as a semicircular fortress to make Piombino even safer from attackers. With a moat and a drawbridge as the only possible access, the wall was intended to secure the eastern part of the fortress.

The village of Campiglia Marittima is certainly worth a visit to appreciate and enjoy the essence of Tuscan villages from the Renaissance to today

Populonia, one of the ancient Etruscan cities that made up the Dodecapolis, is of great historical importance. Today, its majestic ruins continue to bear witness to Etruria's glorious past. Located at the top of a hill with a panoramic view of the Gulf of Baratti, it was known in ancient times as Fufluna or Pupluna, the only Etruscan city on the coast.