Dantedì: Today it’s Dante’s day!
Dantedì: Today it’s Dante’s day!
Dante Alighieri found refuge in 1304
“When Dante heard of his ruin, he at once left Rome, where he was ambassador, and, journeying with all haste, he came to Siena. Here he learned conclusively of his misfortune, and seeing no alternative, he decided to throw in his lot with the other exiles. He first joined them in a
meeting held at Gargonza, where among the many things discussed they chose Arezzo as their Headquarters”
The earliest lives of Dante Alighieri, by Leonardo Bruni (1436)
In 1304, Dante Alighieri found refuge in a fortified Castle between Arezzo and Siena named Castello di Gargonza. It first belonged to the Ubertini family of Arezzo and then was sold to Siena for 4000 florins. Gargonza was then conquered by the Republic of Florence in 1307.
During the fifteen century Gargonza was a community mainly dedicated to the production of wood and wool following detailed Statutes dated 1440. In 1546 the hamlet and its territory passed on to the Marchesi Lotteringhi della Stufa and then in 1696, through a dowry to the Marchesi Corsi ancestors of the Guicciardini Corsi Salviati family, owners of the village since then.
During the eighteen century the castle was transformed into a farm which had in Gargonza its main centre. After the rural exodus which started after the Second World War, Count Roberto Guicciardini Corsi Salviati started the restoration of the village in order to keep it alive. His goal was to preserve the ancient architecture and mantain the authenticity of its former inhabitants.
