Description

A 12th–13th-century medieval castle with pentagonal walls, 4 refurbished flats, a communal courtyard and 10 hectares of land in the Metalliferous Hills, GrossetoREF. GRO341On the hills that slope down from the Metallifere Hills towards the Maremma, in the northern part of the province of Grosseto, in a commanding position on a hill from which the view sweeps across the vast Maremma plain, over the Tyrrhenian Sea and as far as the islands of the Tuscan archipelago, stands Borgo Il Pentagono: a 12th–13th-century medieval castle, the only one still standing in this part of Tuscany, which was ravaged by the Sienese at the end of the 13th century and has weathered centuries of history — including the bombing of 1945 — whilst retaining its architectural structure intact.Its shape is what gave it its name: an outer wall with the unmistakable outline of an irregular pentagon, perfectly preserved, enclosing a fortified village with a single entrance, a communal courtyard in stone and terracotta, and low buildings constructed from local stone and built up against the walls — the typical layout of medieval military fortresses. Various architectural features immediately evoke the period of its origins: doorways, loopholes and decorative elements that tell, in stone, the story of a place that – according to most experts – began life as a military fortress at the time of Emperor Frederick of Swabia’s (Barbarossa) campaigns in Italy.The castle now houses four flats, renovated between the 1990s and the 2000s, which can be purchased as a single property, each with direct access from the communal courtyard. The interiors reflect the authentic character of the place: exposed beams, terracotta floors, old fireplaces and stone features that create an atmosphere of rare authenticity. The first flat, measuring approximately 100 m², on the ground floor comprises an open-plan kitchen/living room with a fireplace, two bedrooms and a bathroom; the second, measuring approximately 74 m², features a kitchen, living room, hallway, bedroom, bathroom and cellar; the third, measuring approximately 66 square metres on the first floor, comprises an entrance hall leading to the living room, a kitchen-diner with a fireplace, a bedroom and a bathroom; the fourth, measuring approximately 105 square metres on the ground floor, consists of three rooms and two bathrooms. All the flats are ready to move into immediately.The surrounding land, covering approximately 10 hectares — of which around 4.4 ha is arable land, 3.3 ha is woodland and 2.2 ha is pasture — envelops the hamlet in a natural setting of great beauty, with the potential to build a swimming pool overlooking the valley. A short distance away are some of Italy’s best-known free-access thermal baths, and the Tyrrhenian coast is 43 km away.The hill of Fornoli, just a short walk from the hamlet, is also of significant historical and archaeological importance: an ancient Etruscan settlement that was later abandoned, revealing a stratification of civilisations that is extremely rare to find within a private residential setting.