Terrosi
Park - In 1750 the
noble Cetonese Sallustio Terrosi started to build his palace pulling
down some small canals. He desidered to give prestige to his family, so
he built a villa and a 15 hectares park. But when the building started,
the area presented a series of canals and a very steep hillock where the
ruins of a little medieval tower were found. Thanks to the abundant
manpower at disposal, Terrosi ordered to fill the canals with the earth
dug out of Cuculuzzo hill through a system of galleries on more levels.
When he had the permission to pull down the ruins of the tower, he
arranged to build up retaining walls and to terrace the slopes of the
steep hill with the stones of the old tower. He realized embellishments
and new structures inside the park, such as the amphitheatre with more
than 200 seats, the Roccolo for hunting (in place of the old tower) and
the Casina Turca (Turkish House), competely frescoed. After the fashion
of his time, Terrosi (and his descendants) gathered archeological
findings coming from the excavations in his properties near Chiusi: so
the park was enriched by Etruscan sarcophagi and cinerary urns, ancient
or classical statues. The Etruscan tomb called Pania was rebuilt after
being dismantled and drawn from the place of discovery. It is possible to visit the Park
(now
private property) in some periods of the year (you can ask information
to the Tourist Office).
The
Tower- The Corpo di
Guardia
(Guardhouse) of the Tower was built after 1500 in front of the
old door of the castle which remained inside the right inner part. From
here it was possible to go to the parade ground and to the donjon
through a ramp. In the old times the
castle was defended by three towers, but war events and the time have
caused the reduction of the towers. Nowadays there is only one, made of
stones, which was rearranged and presents an added covering: it is the
old donjon with brackets and stone arches.
The
Camporsevoli Castle -
The
origin of the characteristic suburb of Camporsevoli goes back to an
Etruscan settlement placed in the surroundings. We can find the first
certain information in a legal transaction written down at the times of
Frederic Redbeard, but it is possible Camporsevoli belonged to the
territory of the old Lombard Chiusi Duchy and later to the County which
followed. After the County was divided, Camporsevoli went to a branch of
the old Farolfingi Counts (perhaps to Campiglia Counts). In the years
1232-1235 the "Camporseldule" Castle was the place of a hard
struggle for its possession between the populations of Siene and
Orvieto, ended in favour of the last ones thanks to the intervention of
Florence. Remained under the influence of Orvieto at
least until the first half of 1300, Camporsevoli was the feud of the
noble Montemarte family until when, involved in the civil wars in
Orvieto, it was assaulted and destroyed in 1352 by the Ghibelline troops
of the Prefect of Vico who pulled down the walls.Passed
to the Campiglia Viscounts in 1432, after it had been attacked and damaged
by the Senese troops, the Castle became property of the Piccolomini
family: Pope Pius II gave it to his own nephews Giacomo and Andrea who
transferred it to the Republic of Siena in 1464. In 1559, after the fall
of the free Republic of Siene, the Medicis took possession the
Camporsevoli Castle with the title of "Vicar-apostolics", but
new disputes arose with the Malaspinas who first claimed the rights on
half the feud, then gave them to the Gran Duchess Mary Magdalene of
Austria who passed them to the noble Florentine Niccolò Giugni: he was
the person who obtained the whole feud from Fredinand II in 1630. With
the Napoleonic suppression of the feuds, Camporsevoli was united first
to San Casciano dei Bagni and then to Cetona. Nowadays there are only
some parts of the walls and the door of the old castle, while the
central body of the building was replaced by a villa. The Chiesa dei
Santi Maria e Giacomo is close to the villa: it was built by the
Piccolominis in 1500 perhaps on an older foundation, identifiable with
"Plebem Sanctae Mariae de Spino cum Cappella Sancti Johannis et
massaritiis" mentioned by Pope Celestine III in the January 1191
Bull: this Bull gave the Bishop Teobald the properties of the Chiusi
church. The bell tower was built in the 20th century.