Sammezzano castle

A building in Orientalist style, the biggest in Italy, redesigned in its current form in the second half of the 19th century by Ferdinando Panciatichi Ximenes d'Aragona, who surrounded it with a large park.

In the 20th century the castle was used as a luxury hotel, also serving as the set for many film productions.

Since 1999, because of a number of changes in ownership and auction sales, the Sammezzano Castle is not open to the public and currently needs a major restoration programme. A people's awareness raising campaign on the subject has resulted in the castle being voted as the winner in the 2016 poll of special places, championed by the National Trust of Italy.

The park features a wide selection of tree species, among which an important group of giant sequoias stands out.