Volpaia Castle

The "Castello di Volpaia" is a small fortified village in Tuscany.

Its main claim to historical fame is as the home town of the della Volpaia family of clock and instrument makers.

Volpaia retains a great deal of its original architecture and has been attractively restored. It is well worth a visit for those interested in the vernacular architecture of early Tuscany

 There is very little traffic within the village of Volpaia and with panoramic views over the surrounding vineyards and forests, together with its location in central Chianti, it makes an ideal base for a peaceful and relaxing Tuscany vacation.

Volpaia was recorded for the first time in 1172 in a document from the Abbey of San Lorenzo a Coltibuono as the "Curte et Castello di Vulpaia". The original defense walls, laid with great precision using local pietra serena (a greenish-grey sandstone), date back to the end of the XII Century and beginning of the XIII Century.

It was not until the first half of the XIV Century however, when the castle became one of the main centres of the Chianti League, in the Radda in Chianti area, that it assumed a role of any real importance.

A part of Volpaia is now incorporated into the Castello di Volpaia winery belonging to the Stianti family.

The winery includes a restaurant and a wine shop, and tours of some of the cellars are possible. The wines produced on the estate of Volpaia are among the best in the Chianti Classico area.