Frescobaldi Tower

The Frescobaldi Tower stands on the right bank of the Arno river and gives its name to the surrounding hamlet. In ancient times it was called the Tower of San Quirico from the name of the church headed to the saints Quirico and Lucia located nearby. It assumed the name of the Frescobaldi after the purchase by the family of the same name, which took place in the second half of the 1700s. Its construction date is not entirely certain; some sources attest it around the beginning of 1300, to protect commercial activities along the Arno river and against the incursions of Castruccio Castracani. The first explicit reference to the Frescobaldi Tower dates back to 1427, where it is known that it was a "place as a fortress" with an adjoining mill, which belonged to the brothers Gherardo and Adovardo of Gherardozzo Bartoli. In 1529 Francesco Ferrucci, during the Siege of Florence, ordered to destroy all the mills near Montelupo to prevent the troops of Charles V of Habsburg from being able to stock up. This fate, however, did not touch the Tower because, due to the deviation of the river, the mill was in a situation of decay in those years and could no longer grind. In 1588 the Tower was purchased by Ferdinand I de' Medici and became part of the nearby Ambrogiana estate in which the Medici family owned a villa. Shortly after the purchase it was completely renovated and later assumed the function of a place of entertainment for the Grand Duke and his guests. Grand Duke Cosimo III de' Medici decided to sell the building which has changed numerous owners over the centuries. Since 2001, after a complete restoration carried out by the current owner Giovanni Bartolozzi, a part of the Frescobaldi Tower houses the Museum of the Tuscan Flask (which can be visited by appointment), in front of which is the Monument to the Woman making flasks, created by the artist Piero Bertelli.

Information

• Address: Via Torre, 8 , Montelupo Fiorentino

• GPX coordinates: 43.7329858,11.0058644