Galatrona TORRE, BUCINE, AR — Attraction in Bucine

A stunning view awaits at the top of the tower! It's really amazing.

Besides that, the lady who accompanied the climb inside the tower was very lovely and showed us falcon's nests in the tower windows, one with eggs and one with a fledgling.

The entry is free and the stairs in the tower are easy to manage. The climb from the church below is probably also nice, but was too challenging for our small kids, especially in the summer sun. We drove up the hill, until about 500 m before the tower l, and walked the rest. On top of the hill the castle ruins are covered in trees and it's conveniently shady. It's a great experience for kids, also.

Note that they opened late, briefly before 16:00 instead of 15:00. We almost missed the tower. So call ahead or give...

Parked on the left by a small parking sign & took the path up the hill. There are 2 walking routes up to the tower. A 30 minute walk which I presume is a gradual climb & a 15 minute path which we used. The path is quite steep & gravelly but we were soon at the top. I'd advise taking a bottle of water as it was hot walking. Waited a couple of minutes for the tour guides to arrive & unlock the tower. Our guide was a friendly lady who was patient with my attempts at speaking Italian. There are a number of steps & 2 sets of ladder like steps to get to the viewing platform. The view was amazing & well worth the climb. Check opening times plus I believe it closes if raining. No entrance fee but there is a donation box at...

La Torre di Galatrona, su una collina a 500 circa di altitudine, domina il Valdarno e la Valdambra.Si tratta dell’unico resto di un castello medievale, le cui origini risalgono al X secolo. Il castello, che ha avuto un ruolo strategico nella storia della regione, passò sotto il controllo di vari signori, tra cui i Conti Guidi, i Tarlati e i Fiorentini. Nel 1335, i fiorentini ne presero il controllo definitivo. Con il tempo, il castello perse la sua funzione militare, e nel XVII secolo era già in decadenza. La torre, alta quasi trenta metri, è costruita in pietra arenaria e ha sei piani, con feritoie e un seminterrato utilizzato come cisterna. Dopo vari restauri, oggi è un luogo di interesse storico e panoramico, meta di escursionisti a piedi e in bici (intorno alla torre c'è una fitta rete di sentieri per mtb). Dalla terrazza della torre si gode di una vista mozzafiato sulla regione...