Ghost town? No, ghost castle – in Tuscany…

You’ve probably heard of ghost towns. Towns where residents moved away, and which are now quaint relics from the past.

But on a recent trip to Tuscany, I visited a “ghost castle”.

Truthfully, it’s not a real ghost castle, since there were a couple of elderly residents who resided there. We spoke to them, and they had purchased apartments there in the 1980s, and have lived there ever since. They used to share the ramparts with a luxury hotel, but they said it shuttered its doors- drawbridge? – during Covid. Speaking about (scary, not quaint) relics from the past, the lobby doors are filled with reminders to mask up and keep space between clients to not spread Covid.

Long before it was a (shuttered) luxury hotel, this lovely perch in Tuscany was developed as what is now known as the Porrona Castle back in the 13th century. This developed as a borgo – a fortified village around the castle, which would have included agriculture and craftsmen who lived within the walls.

By the 1300s, it was the fortress of wealthy, noble Siennese families, in particular, the Tolomei and Piccolimini families who took control of the castle in the later 1300s.

The castle would be largely renovated in the early 1500s, and, unfortunately, a later reconstruction in the early twentieth century would eliminate many important medieval features, but, on the flip side, probably means it is in much better conditions today than many castle structures.

Of course, if information from an old Daily Mail article when it opened in 2016 can be believed, the luxury hotel charging thousands of euro per night was well out of my price range, so maybe its ghost castle status gave me more opportunities to enjoy it.

I must say, this would make an amazing writing retreat. If some wealthy philanthropist is reading this right now – consider it!

It’s surrounded by amazing wine country, and perched between the sea and Siena. I enjoyed our beautiful stop-off at this little slice of paradise at an (almost) ghost castle. See for yourselves when your next in the region.