Belforte

Belforte is a hamlet in the municipality of Radicondoli, a village that originated as a castle in the Early Middle Ages. Belforte’s documented history begins around 1180 with the Aldobrandeschi family’s abandonment of the nearby Falsini Castle and relocation of the seat within Belforte’s walls. In 1221, it is recorded as a fief of the Aldobrandeschi Counts. 

Following disputes between the Aldobrandeschi and Siena, Belforte submitted to the rule of the Republic of Siena on August 30, 1301. There are no written records concerning the foundation of the castrum but it is certain that, like Radicondoli, it fell under the sovereignty of the Bishop of Volterra as early as 1186, as conveyed by a diploma of Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor, and an oath of the inhabitants to the then Bishop Ildebrando Pannocchieschi. 

In 1251, upon the death of Emperor Frederick II, the Sienese state reassigned the two estates to Count Ildebrandino Aldobrandeschi. The end of the 13ᵗʰ century saw the complete subjugation of Belforte to Siena, whose fortunes it would follow until modern times.

The Palazzo Pubblico of Belforte dates back to the 1200s. It must have originally been the home of the gastald, Count Aldobrandeschi, lord of the castle. It was later converted into the Palazzo Pubblico and Palazzo di Giustizia. Throughout its long life, the structure has been home to many kinds of activities: a school building then post office until its closure and subsequent renovation that transformed it into a place for recalling encounters and gatherings for the citizens of Belforte and beyond: the Casa della Memoria l’Aquilante. The façade is embellished with two plaques—one in remembrance of Liberation and the other as a testimony to the donation with which the people of Belforte made possible the opening of the Post Office. Another important element of the Palazzo Pubblico was its clock, first mentioned in 1576. In the 19ᵗʰ century, the Municipality of Radicondoli salaried an attendant to operate the clock but in 1928, the Potestà ordered its replacement due to the mechanism having become unserviceable. The gears from the original clock are still preserved inside the Palazzo, gracing the highest room of the Aquilante.