About
Many significant sculptures and paintings were transported to this castle during World War II for storage.
The first records of Castello di Poppi date back to 1191, when it was owned by the largest feudal family in Casentino, the Conti Guidi, however, it is thought that the foundation may be several hundred years older. The castle was designed by Arnoldo di Cambio and built in the late 12th or early 13th century. Restoration work took place in the 19th-century when the original square tower was converted into a bell tower following a lightning strike. A bronze bust of the poet Dante Alighieri stands outside the castle as a historic reminder of the time he was hosted at the castle by the Conti Guidi during his exile from Florence. The canto XXXIII of Dante's Inferno is thought to have been written while he was living at Castello di Poppi.
