The Castello di Belcaro is a

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

villa built at the site of a Castle once belonging to the

Republic of Siena The Republic of Siena ( it, Repubblica di Siena, la, Respublica Senensis) was a historic state consisting of the city of Siena and its surrounding territory in Tuscany, central Italy. It existed for over 400 years, from 1125 to 1555. During its e ...

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

. It is located some 5.5 kilometers southwest of the

Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centuri ...

city gate of Porta San Marco, on the direction towards

Grosseto Grosseto () is a city and ''comune'' in the central Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of the Province of Grosseto. The city lies from the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the Maremma, at the centre of an alluvial plain on the Ombrone river. It is the m ...

, it is beyond a former benedictine monastery and church of Sant'Eugenio. The address is strada di Terrenzano e Belcaro #32.

History

The villa was commissioned in 1525 by the banker Crescenzo Turamini, to be built over the ruins of the castle at Belcaro. The architect is attributed to either or both Giorgio di Giovanni and/or

Baldassare Peruzzi Baldassare Tommaso Peruzzi (7 March 1481 – 6 January 1536) was an Italian architect and painter, born in a small town near Siena (in Ancaiano, ''frazione'' of Sovicille) and died in Rome. He worked for many years with Bramante, Raphael, and la ...

. In 1554 the site was occupied by the besieging forces of Cosimo di Medici, as a stone inscription on the walls recalls, and his son Giangiacomo dei Medici reinstated the site as a fortress. In the 19th century, the Camaiori family refurbished the villa in a neo-Renaissance style, with gardens and courtyards, with the designs of Serafino Belli and

Giuseppe Partini Giuseppe Partini (Siena, 1842–1895) was an Italian architect, mostly involved in reconstructions in his native Siena. ''Giuseppe Partini (1842-1895): architetto del purismo senese'' (1981) by Maria Cristina Buscioni. He was active with the sc ...

. The grounds have a private chapel with frescoes, all enclosed by fortress walls. The frescoes inside the villa are attributed to Peruzzi. They include the frescoes of the ''Judgment of Paris''. Of these, the 18th-century Sienese art historian states:Lettere sanesi del padre M. Guglielmo della Valle minore conventuale, socio dell'Accademia di Fossano, sopra belle arti
by Guglielmo Della Valle, Stamperia Giovanni Zempel Rome (1786); page 192.

And it required the artist (Peruzzi) to adorn the castle. He did so with the peace of mind all the more gratifying to those who due to the endless riots and dangerous events, almost miraculously, found in an open, secure, uncrowded, distant but only three miles from home. (Peruzzi's) paintings here, belong in a museum, and are among the best he ever made...The colors are so fresh, and so natural that seem posed by nature itself above fruitful and healthy bodies; the design is correct without appearing art. They do not have the muscularity favored by Michelangelo, but everything is freshness, youth, and bloom. It seems that he did this work with the calmer mood; because in this composition, even the most difficult things emerged easily from his brush, obedient to a fertile imagination.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Belcaro Villas in Tuscany Italian Renaissance gardens Gardens in Tuscany Renaissance architecture in Siena Buildings and structures in Siena Castles in Tuscany