(An attractive fortified villa just outside Siena, still privately owned.)

Open every day except Thursday, 1600-18.00 (14.00-16.00 in winter). Entry tickets expensive. From Barontoli, take the old road to Siena through San Andrea and Costalpino. Turn left just after Costalpino, following the yellow signs to Belcaro.

Belcaro was originally built in 1190, but was sacked a number of times; substantially remodelled in the 16th century by the fashionable architect of the day, Baldassare Peruzzi; and further altered on several occasions since then. So it is hardly an architectural unity, but still a fine example of a castle-villa built both for defence and for gracious living. It has been owned during its long history by various leading Sienese families, including the Salimbeni (whose unpopularity caused the populace to rise up and attack Belcaro); St Catherine of Siena who turned it into a convent in 1376; the Turamini (who were responsible for employing Peruzzi to rebuild it); and since 1710 the Camajori, the present owners.

The main things to see in Belcaro are the chapel and orangery or loggia, both decorated with attractive if undistinguished frescoes dating from the 16th-17th century (the expensive entry ticket buys you a leaflet in fractured English which describes what they portray); and the battlements around which you can walk and admire stunning views of Siena and surrounding countryside (the entrance to the battlements is up some steps just inside the second courtyard, on the right). There is also a fresco of the Judgement of Paris inside the private part of the villa, not normally viewable.

1980s