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| Sunrise over the Castle |
Spannocchia is a “tenuta” an agricultural estate. ((FYI 'tenuta' also has the meaning of capacity and stamina)). In the United States, we learn how farms and plantations were developed—a person was granted or claimed a chunk of land and built it up to production with his family (or the use of hired hands or slaves). The “tenuta” were built up in the feudal system—a wealthy aristocrat, often a person living in a nearby city, acquires land and the workers living there. The main home of the tenuta is a villa which was the residence of the landowners. The each of the smaller homestead spread around the tenuta were the casa di colonica—the farm house. Randall pointed out in our historic tour of the villa that “renting a villa” in Italy denigrates the historical significance of the the little farmhouses. These homes were rented to peasants who worked the land and paid through their labor. “Share-croppers” is the term we know in the United States and its connotation of
I am certain that I will not do justice to the history of Spannocchia so lovingly presented to us by Randall on our first afternoon. Please take a look at the official website: http://www.spannocchia.org/castello/history.cfm
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| Door to the "transformation" room |
The oldest feature of the villa is the tower. It must have been the original place of refugre for the people working the land here. The villa was built in stages over the centuries of local stone with a limestone/sand mortar. Around the doorways and windows, bricks were used.
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| View of the casa colonica |
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| Kiln in the Tuscan style |
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