Cacciaconti Castle - Trequanda

The Castle	The Parish Church

Trequanda rises to the eastern border of the Crete Senesi territory, it can be reached from Sinalunga [ exit 'Val di Chiana/Bettolle' of A1 ] following the SS38 in direction of S.Giovanni d' Asso/Torrenieri or from the scenographic route SS438 starting from Siena and passing through Asciano and S.Giovanni d' Asso.

The medieval village of Trequanda, crowned by the remnants of the ancient Cacciaconti castle, stands a hill 462 meters high sited between the Val di Chiana and the Val d' Asso. The real origin of the settlement is shrouded in the dark like the one of its name, even if some historians attribute to the mythological Etruscan hero Tarkon [ Tarconte ] because is probable the Etruscan frequentation of this place. To the mistery on Trequanda history strongly contributed the fire of the aretine archives of the 1384 that contained the documentations concerning this territory. Is however probable that already before the year 1000 the castle was governed by the counts Cacciaconti della Berardenga, family of noble Frank origin, sure they were the lords of this lands during the first half of 12th century.

The position of Trequanda, at control of the road that from Siena passing through Asciano carried to Chiusi, attract the sights of the powerful Sienese Republic. Siena didn't miss any opportunity for interfere in all the controversies regarding the village. But the inhabitants were not happy of these interferences and opposed resistance until Trequanda become one of the bases of the rebellion against the Guelph government of Siena. In the 1289 Siena definitively overpowered Trequanda and the castle risked to be shaved to the ground in order to prevent future uprisings. Around 1330 the Cacciaconti sold the castle to the Franzesi of Staggia and seven years after the new owners donated it to Siena. Already in 1313 all the territory was under the direct control of the Sienesi.

This was the period of maximum splendor of the village, completely encircled by crenellated town walls with irregular shape, with five towers and three gates, joined to the main round tower of the castle, located at the vertex of the hamlet. Of the walls remain insufficient traces, mainly recognizable on the northeast side, while of the three gates the 'Porta al Sole' and the 'Porta al Borgo' are intact, completely disappeared the 'Porta Buggea' that was located just under the castle.

The castle, with trapezoidal shape, was seriously damaged during the second world war and don't remain many traces of the original construction. The great round tower was reconstructed. Part of the circuit walls with traces of a second square tower are still recognizable. The complex is private property of a bank.

In Trequanda deserves of being named the parish church of the Saints Peter and Andrea, dating back to the 13th century. It is a beautiful Romanesque-gothic construction with a particular facade covered with white and ochre color stones forming a geometrical chessboard pattern.