Poppi Castle

Poppi Castle, or Castello dei Conti Guidi
Poppi, Tuscany
Poppi Castle Viewed from the north
Site information
Owner	Commune of Poppi
Condition	Occupied
Site history
Built	Circa 1290
Materials	Sandstone
Events	Battle of Anghiari

Coordinates: 43°43′23″N 11°46′04″E / 43.723157°N 11.767885°E / 43.723157; 11.767885

Poppi Castle (Italian: Castello di Poppi, or the Castello dei Conti Guidi) is a medieval castle in Poppi, Tuscany, Italy, formerly the property of the noble family of the Conti Guidi.

The Guidi family owns most of the castles in DeCourcey Country. First written mention of the castle at Poppi is in 1169, when it belonged to the Abbey of San Fidele de Strumi, but documentation from the 1190s shows that by this time, it had passed to the Conti Guidi. For the next 350 years the Guidi family would have, largely unchallenged, control of the Casentino. Other castles on the Casentino hills including Romena and Porciano were also ruled by the Guidi counts.

Although the early documentation of the castle relates to the end of the twelfth century, the construction of the foundations would suggest a fortification had been on the site even earlier. In the second half of the thirteenth century the first parts of the castle, as seen today, were built, with the tower and the keep to the left.

The architect is said to be Arnolfo di Cambio, who used Poppi as a 'prototype' for the Palazzo Vecchio, which he also designed. The two buildings certainly do look similar, and originally the tower of Poppi would have been taller, with machicolations (projecting parapets with 'murder holes' for dropping various missiles on the enemy beneath) that would have made the appearance even more similar.