The Chianti territory is characterised by the presence of numerous stone watch towers, tower houses, fortified farmhouses and abbeys, castles and castellated villages. "La Marcellina" Chianti farmhouse incorporates a tower house that was a part of the watch tower network of the castle of Panzano in Chianti. The tower was built in the late mediaeval era, and initially served principally a military function. Only afterwards was it converted into a rural estate and enlarged to provide accommodation for the farmers' families.
"La Marcellina" owes its name to the ancient owner Marcello, a poor peasant who suddenly became rich thanks to a reward for eliminating a dangerous rival of Firidolfi family, the feudal lords of Panzano. The history of the house is interwoven with the story of the family of the current owners, Fabio and Lianna Castellacci and their four children, who are direct descendants of the powerful Amici family, one of the most ancient lineages of Chianti. The Castellacci family arrived here from Modena in 930. Having crossed the Apennine range, they first stopped in Monteriggioni, near Siena, and then came to Panzano, where they became farmers and started growing vines and olives.
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