MEDICEAN'S FORTRESS of POGGIO IMPERIALE, POGGIBONSI (SIENA)
POGGIO BONIZIO and the FONTE DELLE FATE |
PART1 |
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| PART2 |
| PART3 |
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PARTE4 |
THE INTERIOR OF THE FORTRESS: THE MIDDLE AGE VILLAGE OF PODIUM
BONIZI OR POGGIO BONIZIO |
| The hill of Poggio Imperiale is an area of about 12
hectares which lies west of the modern town of Poggibonsi, it's a highly
significant monumental and archeological area, it was, between
1155 and 1270, the site of the urban nucleus of "Podium Bonizi". In
1155 Guido Guerra, count Guidi, in agreement with the Sienese, began building a new town
on the "Podium Bonizi" or "Poggio Bonizio".
In 1220 Federico II proclaimed it an Imperial Town and it remained faithful to Siena. The town was then razed to the ground in 1270 when the
Imperial armies were defeated by Florence.
In 1313 it was chosen by emperor Arrigo VII as the location for a new city named
"Monte Imperiale". Later the area was chosen for the
costruction of a Medicean fortress, planned by Giuliano da Sangallo, which
was never completed. |
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| The area of the old medieval village
of Poggio Bonizio, situated inside the fortress. |
| The landscape inside the fortress with
San Gimignano on the background. |
| An enlarged view of San
Gimignano as seen from the center of the fortress. |
| The cistern of Poggio Bonizio's
village. |
| Remains of the houses of Poggio
Bonizio's village. |
| The well of the Poggio Bonizio
village. |
FONTE DELLE FATE (Fairy Spring) |
| Fonte
delle Fate is the only good preserved architectonic witness of the old city of Poggio
Bonizzo. It is situated in a suggestive position, halfway up the hill towards Vallepiatta,
from which it originally took its name. In ancient times a long underground gallery
connected it to the fortress above. It was built in the first decades of 13th century by
"Magister lapidum" Balugano da Crema. The Fonte delle Fate is formed by a porch
of six double ogival arches supported from pillars.
A system of canalizations concurs to collect waters of the hill in the basins that are
found to the inside. The structure was interred in 1484 during the works for the building
of the Medicean fortress. It was rediscovered in 1803 during escavation works. Today it
has been completely restored and is included in the archeological park. |
| Fonte delle Fate, Poggibonsi. |
| Detail of Fonte delle Fate,
Poggibonsi. |
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