Bolgheri
The Castle of Bolgheri has been known of since the 8th century, and it too belonged to the family of the Counts della Gherardesca.
The Castle of Bolgheri has been known of since the 8th century, and it too belonged to the family of the Counts della Gherardesca.
The original structure had a different location: the castle we can admire today is the result of a reconstruction after the arrival in Bolgheri of the army of Emperor Maximilian in 1496.
The Castle of Bolgheri was practically razed to the ground by the German soldiers, and the place began to arise again only at the beginning of the 18th century, thanks to the efforts of Count Simone, the founder of the present noble palace.
His grandson Camillo and great-grandson Guido then continued Simone's work, by building houses and storehouses inside the new Castle of Bolgheri, so as to repopulate it and bring it back to its antique splendour.
Between 1838 and 1848, Giosue Carducci lived in Bolgheri: in the famous poem Davanti San Guido, the poet immortalised the "Viale" that led to the small village from theAurelian Way. near the octagonal chapel of St Vitus, built in 1703 begins boulevard of centuries-old cypress trees: almost five kilometres long, it represents the most spectacular aspect of Bolgheri. The village offers charming nooks, and a rare view over the surrounding countryside can be enjoyed from a panoramic terrace. In recent years, Bolgheri has experienced a genuine tourist rebirth, and today its streets and lanes offer numerous shops in which typical products such as oil and wine are sold.
On the sea, almost in correspondence with the boulevard that leads to the castle, there is the sand-dune of Bolgheri that has become a protected faunistic refuge and oasis managed by the WWF. It is a humid area among the most beautiful in Italy, where from November to May thousands of migratory water birds make a stopover. The lovely, vast beach and the dense pine wood contribute to making the place a genuine paradise for all nature lovers, for those who love peace and quiet.
Copyright pictures Fototoscana.it
