There was a time when this magical place was going to ruin. Then, a group of volunteers banded together to look after its beauty. Recently, it was put up for sale and bought with an uncertain future…Will the public ever again be able to share in this amazing piece of architecture?

Of course, we’re talking about Castello di Sammezzano, the Moorish Revival castle in Leccio, a 45-minute drive from Florence and not too far from the local Mall Firenze. The foundations of Sammezzano date back to the Romans, and in the Middle Ages, it was a defensive fortress–its most famous visitor being Charlemagne.