Situated at the border between Gaiole in Chianti and Castelnuovo Berardenga, and therefore at the border between the provinces of Florence and Siena, in the past the castle of Brolio had mainly a defensive function and protected Florence against the assaults of the Sienese army.

Dating back at least to the 10th century, the castle is of Lombard origin, as suggests the name of the place where the castle stands: in fact, “Brolio” derives from the Lombard word “brolo”, which meant “fenced estate with the lord’s castle at the centre”. The base of the donjon is the only original part we can still admire today.

The Ricasoli family acquired the castle in 1141. The Sienese besieged and conquered the castle several times in the course of the centuries and each time the Florentine re-conquered it. The most famous assaults date back to 1252, 1434 – when Florence sent Neri Capponi to free the members of the Ricasoli family, captured by the Sienese – and 1478.

When Florence conquered Siena, the castle lost its defensive function and was converted into a magnificent aristocratic residence with farm and winery. The latter is still renowned for its Chianti Classico.

In 1835, baron Bettino Ricasoli commissioned architect Pietro Marchetti to renovate the castle according to the principles of the “Gothic Revival”, a style that was rapidly spreading from England in all of Europe. On this occasion the mansion was transformed into a red-brick castle featuring elements alien to Italian architecture, such as crenellated turrets and Tudor-style windows.

The castle is surrounded by a park divided into two sectors: a 16th-century Italian garden and a Romantic park dating back to the 19th century.