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(The Ripa d'Orcia Castle)

(A room of the Castle)

The Castle of Ripa d'Orcia (XIII sec.), set upon a rise in the centre of OrciaValley. The mediaeval Castle of Ripa d'Orcia was probably built in the early Middle Ages, but it does not appear in official deeds until 1218 when it is mentioned in the "Estimo", a generaI census of land and castles. During this period the Castle belonged to the Salimbeni dynasty. In the 1484 the castle along with its fortress, the village and a large part of surrounding land became the property of the Piccolomini of the Carli lineage, whose descendants still own it today. Ripa d'Orcia, an architectural complex which has survived virtually unchanged to the present day, offers to his guest and visitors hospitality and (by appointment) tasting of the products of the farm: Orcia wines, Olive Oil and Grappa.