Why go
Belcaro brings together the villa culture and military history surrounding Siena. A banker commissioned a residence over the old castle site in the sixteenth century; siege forces later occupied it, and nineteenth-century owners reshaped the estate again. Those layers make its walls and gardens a distinct chapter of the countryside around the city.
The full story
Belcaro began as a fortified site connected to the Republic of Siena. In 1525 the banker Crescenzo Turamini commissioned a villa over the remains of the castle. Its design has been attributed to Giorgio di Giovanni and Baldassare Peruzzi, though the attribution is not settled. During the siege of Siena in 1554, forces serving Cosimo de' Medici occupied the site; an inscription on the walls recalls that episode. Later work restored its defensive character. In the nineteenth century, the Camaiori family refurbished the property in a neo-Renaissance style, adding another period to a place already shaped by conflict and residence. The grounds include gardens, courtyards and a private chapel within the walls. Frescoes inside the villa have been attributed to Peruzzi. The layered history is worth knowing, but it does not establish ordinary visitor access to the private interiors.