Castiglione d'Orcia is a ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' (municipality) in the

Province of Siena The province of Siena (, ) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Siena. It has 259,826 inhabitants. Geography The province is divided into seven historical areas: * Alta Val d'Elsa * Chian ...

in the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

region of

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

, located about southeast of

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

and about southeast of

Siena Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...

, in the

Val d'Orcia The Val d'Orcia or Valdorcia () is a region of Tuscany, central Italy, which extends from the hills south of Siena to Monte Amiata. Its gentle, cultivated hills are occasionally broken by gullies and by towns and villages such as Pienza (rebu ...

, not far from the

Via Cassia The Via Cassia () was an important Roman road striking out of the Via Flaminia near the Milvian Bridge in the immediate vicinity of Rome and, passing not far from Veii, traversed Etruria. The ''Via Cassia'' passed through Baccanae, Sutrium ...

. Castiglione d'Orcia borders the following municipalities: Abbadia San Salvatore, Castel del Piano,

Montalcino Montalcino is a hill town and ''comune'' in the province of Siena, Tuscany, central Italy. The town is located to the west of Pienza, close to the Crete Senesi in Val d'Orcia. It is from Siena, from Florence and from Pisa. Monte Amiata is l ...

, Pienza,

Radicofani Radicofani () is a ''comune'' in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located in the natural park of Val d'Orcia about southeast of Florence and about southeast of Siena. Radicofani borders the following municipalities: Abbadia ...

, San Quirico d'Orcia,

Seggiano Seggiano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Grosseto in the Italian region Tuscany, located about south of Florence and about northeast of Grosseto. The center is situated on the foothills of the north-western hills of Monte Amia ...

and with a little characteristic town of few inhabitants, located on a rock, called “Campiglia d’Orcia”.

History

The settlement is mentioned for the first time in 714, when it was a possession of the

Aldobrandeschi The Aldobrandeschi family was an Italian noble family from southern Tuscany. Overview Of probable Lombard origin, they appear in history as counts in the 9th century. The first known count was Hildebrand II (857). Their possession extended t ...

family. In 1252 it became a free commune, but lost its independence in the following century to the

Republic of Siena The Republic of Siena (, ) 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 existence, it gradually expanded throughout south ...

, which entrusted it to powerful families like the Piccolomini and Salimbeni. Later, Castiglione was part of the

Grand Duchy of Tuscany The Grand Duchy of Tuscany (; ) was an Italian monarchy located in Central Italy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1860, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In the 19th century the population ...

and, from 1861, of unified Italy.

Main sights

Both these locations are a museum and can be visited during appropriate hours. *''Rocca'' (Castle) of Tentennano, overlooking the ''frazione'' of Rocca d'Orcia. It was the centre of the struggle between the Salimbeni and the Republic of Siena, which re-acquired it in 1408. In the 16th century it was again contended between Siena and Florence. It was handed over to the government in 1971 after fear by the owners due to the old age of the fortress and danger of rocks hitting people. *''Rocca Aldobrandesca''. *Romanesque churches of '' Santa Maria Maddalena'' and ''Santi Stefano and Degna''. The latter houses a ''Madonna with Child'' by

Simone Martini Simone Martini ( – July 1344) was an Italian painter born in Siena. He was a major figure in the development of early Italian painting and greatly influenced the development of the International Gothic style. It is thought that Martini was a p ...

and a ''Madonna with Child'' by

Pietro Lorenzetti Pietro Lorenzetti (; – 1348) or Pietro Laurati was an Italian painter, active between and 1345. Together with his younger brother Ambrogio Lorenzetti, Ambrogio, he introduced Realism (arts), naturalism into Sienese School, Sienese art. In the ...

References

External links

* Castles in Italy Val d'Orcia {{Siena-geo-stub