Vescona

This villa is named after its parish: SAN FLORENZIO OF VESCONA, which is associated to the parish of Vescona, also called San Giovanni of Vescona. The villa, already small castle of Counts Guinigi of the Scialenga, whose property is testified by a public document of 1025,with which one of those dynasties, the count Ranieri gave in aid to the monastery of San Salvatore of the Berardenga a house with an annexed vegetable garden, a vineyard and a piece of land near the castle of Vescona. The place is on the crest of a clayed hill crossed by the Lauretana road which leads from Asciano to Siena passing through Taverne d’Arbia, through the church of San Florenzio and the villa of the noble Saracini from Siena, on the left. Along the road there was one of the numerous hospitals for pilgrims, of which Tuscany was very rich. It is mentioned in the sienese statutes since 1298. The commune of Siena built in 1393 in Vescona a small fortress which today is part of the building of the farmhouse-villa. The existence of the Church of San Florenzio is testified by a dispute in 712 between the bishops of Siena and Arezzo. Another reference it is in a document of 1045 where Immone, bishop of Arezzo, renounced to the jurisdiction of a lot of parishes in the sienese territory and again in the bull of the 8th June 1070 by the Pope Alessandro in favour of Costantino, bishop of Arezzo. The same is for the bull by the Pope Onorio III of the 27th May 1220. Also the Monastery of Sant’Eugenio near Siena had a court in Vescona until the XI century, which was confirmed by two emperors: Arrigo IV on the 4th June 1081 and Federico I on the 8th August 1185.