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SERRE
di RAPOLANO
. . .
Restored
four-storey townhouse in Tuscan mediaeval borough . . .
THE
LOCATION
Serre
di Rapolano was established as a Byzantine fortified settlement
during the Graeco-Gothic wars (535 - 553 AD) and successively ruled
by the Longobards, Federico Barbarossa and Frederick II who donated
Serre as a feudal possession to the Cacciaconti family in 1234.
The
mediaeval hilltop borough looms above the beautiful Crete Senesi
of Tuscany, in the province of Siena, between the hills of the Chianti
region to the north and the Val di Chiana and Val d'Orcia to the
south.
Serre
is within a 30km radius of such important historical and artistic
centres as Siena, Arezzo, Pienza, Montepulciano and Montalcino -
home to the great Brunello wine-making tradition - and a five-minute
drive from the famous thermal baths of Rapolano Terme.
Dating
back to antiquity the travertine caves of Serre di Rapolano were
considered among the most prestigious and to date are an important
source of revenue. The beauty of the travertine limestone may be
recognized in the architectural expression of the borough, beautifully
conserved in its resplendent mediaeval authenticity.
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