Rocca Aldobrandesca

The Rocca Aldobrandesca rises above the historic centre of Capalbio. Its quadrangular tower and crenellated crown form the core of a complex that also includes Palazzo Collacchioni, a Renaissance residence overlooking the Maremma.

Why it matters

The fortress is a defining feature of Capalbio's skyline and records successive periods of rule, from the Abbey of Tre Fontane to the Aldobrandeschi, Siena and the Medici. The adjacent palace preserves a later residential layer of the complex.

What to notice

The medieval tower has a scarped base and crenellations resting on corbels and small arches. Palazzo Collacchioni has a decorated portal and an internal courtyard with a well above a buried cistern. Its period furnishings include a Conrad Graf piano associated with Giacomo Puccini.

Context and history

The territory was associated with the Abbey of Tre Fontane before the Aldobrandeschi fortified the site in the thirteenth century. The Orsini held it briefly, and Siena reshaped the fortress in the early fifteenth century. After Siena's fall, the complex passed to the Medici. The palace and tower now preserve the layered history of Capalbio's former stronghold.