Panorama Photo

UNSOLVED RIDDLE.

The vineyard that can be seen in the panorama (we are in the Chianti area) is the place where the city of Semifonte was located, halfway between Florence and Siena.

Semifonte was a fortified city, which at the end of the 12th century became a fierce opponent of Florence.

The castle first and then the city were founded, around 1177, by Count Alberto IV of Prato, becoming, in short, one of the most powerful centers of the Valdelsa, as well as an imperial stronghold in the area.

The emergence of Semifonte was immediately frowned upon by Florence which opposed it in every way and managed to defeat it in the space of twenty years. In 1202, Semifonte, after a siege begun in 1198, was defeated, conquered and immediately razed to the ground by the troops of Florence, which with this intended to give an example to other centers competing with it.

The city was not only razed to the ground, it was even dismantled piece by piece. Even the memory of Semifonte had to disappear.

After the work of destruction, Florence decreed that no building could ever be built on that hill. This prohibition has, in fact, been respected until today, with the exception of the Chapel of San Michele, erected in 1597 on the top of the hill.