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You are in: home / the Villa / historical residence
Fortezza Dè Cortesi, an historical residence...
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Located in the hamlet named Monti Fortezza de’ Cortesi is one of the most important historical and architectural sites in Val d’Elsa. Likely of etruscan origin, it certainly dates back to at least the Xth century: in the year 929 Ugo, King of Italy, gave the site, then called Monte della Torre, to Adelardo III, bishop of Volterra. Then it belonged to the Marquis Ugo of Tuscany, who assigned it to the abbey of San Michele in Poggibonsi. During the middle age
it belonged to
a very important San Gimignano family and then probably it was a templar
site.
At the beginning of XVIth century Monti became a sumptuous villa of the noble Cortesi family, and a centre of humanistic studies, by the name of Castrum Cortesianum. Here the prelate Paolo Cortesi, secretary of the pope Giulio II°, collected together many scholars of that times and it was here also that he wrote and had printed by the famous copperplate engraver Simone Nardi, called The Red, his precious work “De Cardinalatu” which he dedicated to the pope and of which only five copies remain in the world.
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At the end of 1700 there still remained traces of the great castle walls, with gates and keeps, and the rudiments of underground road which united Monti with San Gimignano; the last gate in stone was pulled down at the beginning of XXth century. Today Monti is a charming rural hamlet, which keeps alive the architectural imprints of the past.
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Fortezza de' Cortesi Loc. Monti, 26 - San Gimignano (SIENA) - tel. e fax 0577 940123 - mobile 338 7732761
P. IVA 00908810526
email info@fortezzacortesi.com
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