Square bell tower or campanile rising above the medieval Castello dei Conti Guidi Conti or Castle of the Guidi Counts, built around 1274 at Poppi, Tuscany, Italy. At the base of the tower is a small square building, the Antiporta della Munizione or Munition Tower, added in the 1400s and now used as the castle’s main entrance. Externally, the castle resembles Florence’s Palazzo Vecchio town hall. It may have been a prototype for that 1299 design by Arnolfo di Cambio.
Castello dei Conti Guidi (Castle of the Guidi Counts), Poppi, Tuscany, Italy: the large square tower dominating the building is the campanile or bell tower, renovated in 1817 and still housing bells that date from 1423 and 1722. At the base of the campanile is a small square building, the Antiporta della Munizione (Munition Tower), added in the 1400s and now used as the castle’s main entrance. This once formed the first line of defence of the castle. The last Guidi Count, Francesco, surrendered Poppi to the Florentine Republic in 1440. To the left of the Munition Tower and partially visible in this photograph is the Porta del Leone (Lion Gate). The name of this gate comes from Baldassarre Turriani’s lion bas-relief of 1477 over the entrance. The Castello dei Conti Guidi was built around 1274 for Count Simone di Battifolle, head of the powerful Guidi family. Externally, it resembles Florence’s Palazzo Vecchio town hall, and it may have been a prototype for that 1299 design by Arnolfo di Cambio. Poppi lies 65 km to the southeast of Florence in the Casentino region.
Size: 2776px × 4170px
Location: Castello dei Conti Guidi, Castle of the Guidi Counts, Poppi, Tuscany, Italy
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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