La Canonica Di Cortine

A visit to the six buildings comprising the complex offers one the rare occasion of taking a few steps through the most fascinating moments of a historical period which lasted at least a thousand years, but probably more than two thousand five hundred years.

In the area of Barberino Val d’Elsa, on the summit of a hill, 310 metres above sea level lie a group of houses and a villa which preserve the name of the ancient “Castello di Cortine” (Castle of Cortine) attested to it in 1037. The word “cortine” comes from neo-Latin; from the term “curtis” meaning court. Cortine, this very ancient Tuscan castle, stands among vineyards, olive groves and woods on the watershed of the Elsa and Pesa valleys. Here the silent magic treasure of a thousand years of collaboration between a generous soil and an extraordinary line of descendants is preserved. Oh Guests of this ancient abode, now is the time to lose yourselves in these surrounding lands which are rich in traces of Etruscan roads and memories of Roman conquerers. In medieval Tuscany Cortine was an important meeting point between Florence and the Via Francigena for Rome; it lies very near the scene of the deadly duel between the council powers of Florence and the aristocratic pride of Semifonte. In 1260 the people of Cortine were forced to contribute an onerously high quantity of their precious grain to support the Florentine army in their Montaperti campaign. As a result the small village church later became enriched with beautiful works of art, four of which are presently preserved at the Museum of Tavarnelle. It was not until 1774, by virtue of a Grandducal regulation, that the people of ‘San Lorenzo a Cortine’ became incorporated into the Community of Barberino Val D’Elsa. The Villa is an admirable example of architecture from the “Lorenese” period on a par with the most famous Medici Villas from the fifteen hundreds; this beautiful building still has an ancient oil mill within its walls thus showing itself to be intimately connected to agricultural demands. Scholars have established that the present church was restored in the eighteen hundreds and completed in 1850. The bell tower was completed in 1880. What remains of the Castello di Cortine It has been suggested that parts of its foundations make up the impressionable walls of the Villa’s underground passages: the fascination of the eternal youth of medieval Tuscany lies in thousands of secrets like these. Here, following the flight of a falcon in the sky, you may recognise the green hills painted by the Renaissance masters, and when you wish to join the pleasure of the eye with the delights of the … spirit, the traditional food and the miraculous wine of this land can only be unequalled guides for you! The historical references were taken from the work of Francesco Donnini, Cortine: una traccia attraverso i secoli (Cortine: a path through the centuries). The Coat of Arms of the Falciani and Fusi families, which counter-distinguish the local fruits of agriculture and craftsmanship chosen for guests at the Canonica di Cortine, pays homage to the forefathers of Lucia and Stefano who, for many generations, by hard work and an instinctive love for perfection, contributed to creating the finest landscapes and products from our own Chianti’s oil.

Canonica Cortine is situated among vineyards, olive groves and woods on the watershed of the Elsa and Pesa Valley in the Chianti area between Florence and Siena.