The Fortezza Medicea del Girifalco stands near the Santa Margherita Church in Cortona. The current appearance of this castle dates back to the 16th century, but it existed much earlier.
Fortezza del Girifalco Cortona
Address, opening hours and ticket price
Address: Via di Fortezza, 52044 Cortona. Tel: +39 0575 164 5507. Opening hours: From April 1 to June 30 and from September 1 to 30: 10:00 – 18:00; from July 1 to August 31: 10:00-19:00. (At the moment the Fortezza is only open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays).
History and Description
The Fortezza del Girifalco probably existed already in the early Middle Ages and was then used by Gothic and Lombard garrisons. However, the oldest writing referring to the castle dates back to 1258.
Renovations took place in 1266. The Casali family had it further expanded in the 14th century. In the early 15th century, Siena helped rebuild the city. The central building dates from this period.
In 1540 Cosimo I de’ Medici had the structure strengthened and modernized. After some more rebuilding in 1561, it took on its present form, with the massive walls of different lengths and the corner bastions, all four of which are also different in shape and size. This is partly due to the fact that the castle was built against a hill and partly because existing structures were used in the construction. The architect of this rebuilding was named Serbelloni.