Castello Tricerchi

The Castello Tricerchi estate is situated on the north side of Montalcino and extends for 400 hectares, of which thirteen are cultivated as vineyards. In the centre stands the castle, originally built in the thirteenth century by the Altesi family and completed in 1441 by the Tricerchi family. It served as a fortress for pilgrims marching to Rome on the Francigena road. Many of its decorative and structural features have been attributed to Baldassare Peruzzi. In the sixteenth century, the castle was occupied for a time by the Spanish, who made it their own stronghold. Until it went back into the hands of the Tricerchi’s, when it once again became a fortress for pilgrims on their way to the Vatican. It was during the sixteenth century that the chapel, originally located within the fortified walls (as demonstrated by the presence of the belfry), was relocated to the path to the front of the castle and dedicated to the Virgin of the Veil. A fragment of the Veil, certified by a Papal Bull, is still in the church. In 1982, the Altesi castle was declared an artistic and historical heritage site.

The hillside underlying the castle is covered with vineyards that extend to the lake below, which, in ancient times, was used to supply domestic water for irrigation. The vineyards are divided into seven plots, each cultivated in the same way with the vines cordon-trained. They are ‘The Veil’, ‘The Castle’, ‘Sant’ Anna’, ‘The Lake’, ‘The Cypress’, and ‘The New Vineyard’.