Castello Villanova, Medieval castle in Barberino di Mugello, Italy.
Castello Villanova is a 19th-century castle rebuilt in medieval style by Carlo Gerini on the ruins of an older fortified settlement. It stands on the Strada della Futa at Le Maschere and consists of a walled enclosure with a gate topped by a tower, plus a building that once housed a church and a lay confraternity.
The Ubaldini family held control of this fortress around 1250, establishing its early medieval character. The Bettini family later took over, and in 1611 Marquis Ottavio Gerini purchased the property, beginning a new chapter in its development.
The church of San Jacopo, rebuilt in 1334 under the patronage of the Cattani family, stood inside the walls; in 1565 the Archbishop of Florence annexed it to the curia of Santa Maria a Colle Barucci. Its presence, with a Compagnia, suggests a community of some size. The name Villanova comes from the Ubaldini branch that held the site around 1250.
The castle stands on the Strada della Futa at Le Maschere, in the municipality of Barberino di Mugello. A recovery plan has been drawn up to convert the complex into a restaurant and a venue for ceremonies and banquets, so access follows the state of that conversion. The tower, gate and staircase were first restored in 1990 to halt their deterioration.
This property underwent multiple transformations, functioning as a fortress, then a school, later a convent, and now as an events space. Such varied uses over time have left traces in the building's layout and decoration that reveal how its purpose shifted across centuries.
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