Sammezzano Castle
Castle Sammezzano – the technicolour Tuscan castle has 365 rooms, one for every day of the year and no two rooms are the same!
Among the huge redwoods and exotic plants, in the heart of Tuscany, you will find the majestic Castle of Sammezzano. Conceived as a magnificent and whimsical Moorish masterpiece, the castle resonates with an aura of regal grandeur. Adorned with sumptuous interiors, kaleidoscopic rooms and well-kept lawns, it is synonymous with opulence.
This once abandoned Italian palace, located in Reggello between Florence and Arezzo, has a fascinating history that dates back to ancient Rome. Sammezzano was built in 1605 by the Spanish nobleman Ximenes of Aragon and later inherited by the Italian aristocrat Ferdinando Panciatichi Ximenes, who transformed it into the Moorish-inspired architectural oasis that it is today. Although Ferdinando was not a trained architect or botanist, nor did he visit the eastern countries, he based his designs on books he had studied carefully.
After World War II, the property was briefly used as a hotel and bar. A second life as a luxury hotel in the early 2000s was unsuccessful, and since then the mansion has been largely unoccupied for two decades. Although abandoned, on occasional days the keepers open the doors so that lucky guests can appreciate the splendour that lies within.
