COME AWAY TO FAIRYLAND...
 If you want to see an enchanted castle, just motor down from Gaiole in Chianti and follow the indications till you reach the Barbischio Castle. As a veritable fairyland, the castle of Barbischio is nestled on a hillside with the beautiful Tuscany panorama of lush rolling hills, verdant forests, vineyards and olive groves. Go up the mysterious white road and be prepared to meet the queen of fairies. You can even catch a glimpse of towers steeped in secrets rising up above the dense shrubbery and tall trees on the hill. If dreams can be life sized, then the Barbischio Castle is the answer.
All you have to do is take a picture of the Barbischio Castle and it will transform into a picture perfect postcard. At the southern most tip of the Chianti region, the castle lies in secrecy among a medieval atmosphere of the village of Barbischio. As one of the 'terziere' or the three important members of the military base formed by the Republic of Florence the area came under the 'Chianti League' or the 'Lega del Chianti'. The castle was built during the Middle Ages and was documented in 1010 by the Abbey of Coltibuono. The property was handed over to the Abbey by the Ricasoli family. The Abbey held the estate till the castle and its surrounding lands were given later to the Abbey of the Cassinesi of Florence till the year 1086. In the first few years of the 13th century it was handed over as a fiefdom to the Counts Guidi of Battifolle by the Emperor Frederick II of Schwabia.
 Come into the scene of revolt as in the next century, the citizens rose up in arms against the Count Guido di Battifolle. The Republic of Florence took control of the castle as a border outpost of the adjoining areas of Chianti and Siena. The Republic also took over Montegrossi, Vertine and Meleto which lay around the area. The Republic held full control for a while and then handed it back to the Count of Battifolle for services rendered. The castle of Barbischio proved as a strategic outpost with its high watch tower. This was useful during a raid by the Sienese army in 1230. The lovely castle was eventually given back to the Ricasoli family, but came under the authority of the Republic of Florence. But it was attacked again by the Aragonese in 1478 and most of its fortifications were damaged. But the power of the Ricasoli increased and Barbischio was noted for its importance as a possession of the feudal family.
Though the fortified castle went into decline after this invasion, the tower has been renovated by a private owner. Walk around the tower where you can still see its enclosing walls and absorb its vantage position overlooking the lovely Gaiole country.
 Tip a glass of Chianti wine and catch a prism of the rainbow in its famous wine producing lands. Watch the Massellone tumbling in merry glee as it runs in the direction of Barbischio. Step into its quaint Piazza and look at tiny houses clinging to each other around the tower at the top of the hill. Imagine a castle built from the pages of a fairy tale with its three towers encircled by a wall. Explore the Gaiole countryside which extends to a length of 129 kilometers with a backdrop of green hills of the Chianti and the Val d'Arba. Transformed from a market in medieval times, the area became the base of the Leopoldian reforms of 1774.
Go back to a rich fabled past and run your fingers over its ancient maps. Realize that it was only in the 12th century that the village around Barbischio developed with a road running to Gaiole from Valdarno and Chianti as a trading post in 1215. The surrounding great castles of Brolio, Montegrossoli and Meleto were owned by the Ricasoli families with the famous Vallombrosan center founded by the Abbey in 1860 which has now become a privately owned farm can be seen amongst the gorgeous scenery around Barbischio. Come back into the old confines of the Barbischio Castle and let the sun continue on its journey in the heavens and let the beauty of the valley form an impression that lasts with the Barbischio Castle through the ages.
LET YOUR DREAMS FLY ON A WHITE RIBBON ROAD..
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