Corniolo e Castellaccio di Corniolino

Located in the upper Val bidente, Corniolo is an ancient fief of the Counts Guidi, developed around S. Pietro Church  and the characteristic village, just 3 km from the Botanical Garden of Valbonella. We racommed, for historical-artistic relevance, the Oratory of the Madonna delle Grazie and in the S. Pietro church a polychrome ceramic bas-relief from the workshop of G. della Robbia and the Deposition of G. Ponteghin. The Castellaccio del Corniolino, located about 2 km from the town, is described in the “Descriptio Romandiole” by Cardinal Anglico in 1371: “It stands on the Alps in a valley, above a high and impregnable mountain. It has a fortress and a very strong tower. There is another very strong tower, which is called la Rovere. It borders with Tuscany, S. Benedetto in alpe, Biserno and Premilcuore. This castle is very fit for war and has 100 hearths. ” In 1440 it was conquered by the Florentine Republic and became the seat of an autonomous municipality dependent on the Podesteria of Portico. After this conquest began the decline of the castle, of which some ruins remain today, including the 5-meter-high entrance door with an unreadable crest, some portions of the surrounding wall, the base of the male tower, a basement room.