Castelvecchio Nature Reserve

The dense forest and rich vegetation have been guarding a treasure for centuries, true evidence of the ancient people who inhabited this land. Immersed in nature, peek out the ruins of the ancient village of Castelvecchio, which stand on a limestone cliff of Mount Cornocchio between San Gimignano and Volterra. A settlement of Etruscan origin, however, evidence remains of the Lombard occupation, a people who fortified the village, creating a veritable fortress to protect military and religious buildings inside. Its strategic position led in 1208 to the decision to reinforce the fortifications given its location halfway between San Gimignano and Volterra at constant war with each other. As early as 1308 due to the shifting of boundaries to the detriment of Volterra the village began a decline. Subsequently the population was decimated by the plague in 1348 and the subsequent earthquake of 1452 severely damaged the ancient village.

To this day a part of the ancient village wall and two tall nougats, the church of Saints John and Frediano, the foundations of dwellings, two mills with stone grindstones, storehouses, a cistern and ovens can still be found. These ruins can be reached through a fascinating route that is well worth the effort of taking this walk. The naturalistic interest of the reserve is also not to be outdone. Between areas characterized by Mediterranean scrub and others by plants that benefit from the shade, in places more hidden from the sun a kind of thermal inversion is created, creating a microclimate that allows the growth of trees such as beech, sycamore maple, and yew, which have remained protected by the area since the last glaciation. In addition to the variety of flora, species such as hawks, peregrine falcons, short-toed eagles, and many other creatures can also be spotted, all of which contribute to making the reserve a place to explore with care and wonder.