Three Lombard brothers donated the "curtem" of Tornano to the monastery of San Bartolomeo, marking the beginning of the spiritual connection with the castle.
The Mazzalombardi family appears at Tornano, with a decree from Frederick Barbarossa that dispossessed Warnellottus of Tornano and granted the castle to Ranieri di Berelingero.
Despite the transfer of the castle to Florentine territory, it remained firmly under Siena’s control and was besieged, although unsuccessfully.
A new and definitive attack by the Sienese led to the surrender of Guarnellotto and his family, who permanently moved to Florence, and the ownership of Tornano passed to the Ricasoli Firidolfi family.
During the bloody Aragonese invasions, which caused the destruction or damage of many major castles in Chianti, Tornano, faithful to its tradition as an inaccessible stronghold, held firm and was never captured.
During this period, there are no official records of the castle.
It belonged to the Firidolfi Ricasoli family. These were the years of sharecropping, and around 6 families lived at Tornano, working the vineyards and olive groves.
Manfredo Selvolini convinced Baron Ricasoli to sell him the castle, which at the time was in a state of total abandonment. Thanks to careful restoration work, he restored the castle to its former glory, transforming it into an elegant residence.
The property remained in the hands of the Selvolini family, who took care of it until its transformation into an agriturismo in the 1980s.
The castle was passed on to its current owners, Wendy and David Braben, an English couple passionate about art, wine, and history. They had long been searching for a place that could embody the perfect fusion of beauty, culture, and luxury. Here, they decided to begin their project to create a resort where the unspoiled nature, the richness of its millennia-old history, and its traditions intertwine to create an exclusive environment.
