Torre della Bella Marsilia, Medieval tower in Magliano in Toscana, Italy
Torre della Bella Marsilia is a square-based defensive tower standing on a hillside in the Uccellina mountains, with arrow slits and gun ports built into its stone walls. The structure features an unusual sloping base, with a stone cord marking the transition to vertical walls at the higher levels of the fortification.
The Aldobrandeschi family controlled the fortification until 1345, when they transferred ownership to the Marsili family from Siena. The Marsili family maintained it through subsequent generations, ensuring the tower's continued role in the region.
The name comes from Margherita Marsili, who was captured by Ottoman pirates in 1543 and taken to Sultan Suleiman's palace in Constantinople. This connection keeps a local story alive, linking the tower to the maritime dangers and faraway events of that era.
The entrance sits on an elevated floor above the base, accessed through a walkway that replaced the original drawbridge system. Visitors should expect uneven ground and steep terrain since the hilltop location on the mountainside naturally creates these conditions.
The walls show clear marks of medieval machicolations and channels where defenders poured boiling substances onto attackers. These visible features allow visitors to see exactly how the original defense mechanisms worked against intruders.
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