Mura del Borgo di Capalbio

Capalbio’s borgo is enclosed by two rings of stone walls. The inner circuit surrounds the fortress, while a later outer wall and the Porta Senese were added under Sienese rule. Towers and gates still mark the defensive layout around the hilltop town.

Why it matters

The two wall circuits preserve the growth of Capalbio’s defences. The first, built around the fortress by the Aldobrandeschi between the eleventh and twelfth centuries, was followed by a Sienese outer wall in the fifteenth century. The medieval street plan remains within the ring, with the walls forming part of the historic centre.

What to notice

The inner and outer circuits occupy different levels. Most of the towers have square bases, and the curtain walls retain traces of scarping and Guelph merlons. Some house exteriors form part of the outer enceinte. At Porta Senese, a plaque dated 1418 and a Medici coat of arms dated 1601 are set into the stone. The gate retains its fifteenth-century wooden doors. Fragments at the Portaccia and Torre Lilli mark parts of the lower town’s defensive history.

Context and history

The first ring was built under the Aldobrandeschi between the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Capalbio later passed through Orsini and Sienese control; the Sienese added the outer circuit and Porta Senese. Florence later inherited the frontier town, and the Medici arms dated 1601 record its subsequent rule. Under the Lorraine administration, Capalbio lost its autonomy and was absorbed first by Manciano and then by Orbetello. The commune recovered its autonomy in 1960. The walls remain a record of the town’s successive rulers and defensive phases.