The municipalities of
Radicondoli and Belforte were among the earliest
recorded as having their own community organizations.
In the complex historical events when the two castles were mortgaged to
guarantee the pact of alliance stipulated by the Aldobrandeschi Counts with
Siena, the towns of
Radicondoli and Belforte also held autonomous sworn
agreements with Siena.
Radicondoli was a great handicrafts centre during the
Middle Ages, densely populated and economically important. In the 1300s an
important corporation of wool dealers with its own charter was established
there. The Municipality of
Radicondoli embraces a broad space between the
Sienese Montagnola and the Metalliferous Hills. Some parts of the castle are
still visible, sections of the wall from which two remaining keeps emerge and
a round-arched sandstone gate. Many medieval buildings, mostly Gothic,
make up the central city centre. Among the works of art the Parish Church, the
Augustinian Convent and the Romanesque church of the cemetery. The city
walls with towers, one square and two round ones, can still be seen at
Belforte. At the centre of the Castle there is a brick tower, with a pointed arch
in stone and the original sculptured corbels.
Within the extraordinary environmental, historical and artistic heritage, one can
also visit the localities of Elci, Falsini, Fosini and Montalbano. Montingegnoli is
of particular interest, as it still shows the outline of the castle constructed on a
semicircle, within which there are numerous rustic houses traversed by a
characteristic lane with romantic covered passageways. At Mensano one can
see the Romanesque Parish Church, its interior decorated in exceptional
capitals. In locality Galleraie there is a spa. The underground is rich in energy
potential.
At
Radicondoli, there is tourist accommodation available in hotels, agriturismos, b&b, residence self-catering accommodation and rooms for rent.
