WELCOME

WELCOME.

Welcome to the official site of the Pierle castle

Benvenuti nel sito ufficiale della Rocca di pierle

WELCOME Welcome to the official site of the Pierle castle. In these pages you will find a lot of useful information regarding the splendid medieval village of Pierle and its Castle. You will also find information on the activities that take place throughout the Valdipierle and in the nearby towns.

The place we are talking about is located in the territory of the Municipality of Cortona, near Mercatale. You will have seen it, from afar, passing through the roads that go from the North West of Umbria to Tuscany. In particular, those coming from Cortona or Tuoro sul Trasimeno see it suddenly emerge from the bends of these two roads.
Let's say that in reality the roads we are talking about are not very busy, because those coming from the Valdichiana and want to go towards the Valtiberina he does not use the SP46 del Niccone provincial road but prefers the superstades that pass through Arezzo or Perugia-Ponte San Giovanni. Castello then chooses to pass through the Niccone Valley. Shortly after passing Mercatale and taking the detour to the Provincial Road SP35, when the road begins to rise, halfway up the hill, the Rocca di Pierle appears in front of it.

Here is the best known glimpse of the Rocca di Pierle. This image was inspired to create the icons of this site. We are now in Valdipierle, that is, in the westernmost part of the Niccone valley. This area takes its name from the fortress of the same name which is located right on a promontory that delimits its boundaries.
Pierle's name appears as early as 1502 in the map drawn up by Leonardo da Vinci called '' Bird's eye map of Tuscany with Val di Chiana '' (today RL 12278 of Windsor). In this document there is also traces of the `` Pierla '' stream that passes near the fortress and merges into the Niccone stream.

Those who come from Umbertide, after having passed the Mercatale crossroads and go to Lisciano Niccone, just before arriving, when they cross the regional border, looking halfway up on the right, in the direction of Cortona, should see the fortress. At this point we are about 2 km away from the castle, but it can be distinguished very well.
This border has remained unchanged for centuries. The fortress of Pierle has been the guardian of this frontier for almost 1000 years. First it was the border between the free municipalities of Perugia and Cortona, then between the Papal State and the succession of the various administrations of the Florentine government, until the unification of Italy where the border between the regional compartments of Umbria and Tuscany remained..

Continuing from Lisciano Niccone towards Tuoro sul Trasimeno, following the SP35 towards the Gosparini pass, after 2 or 3 km of road with hairpin bends the Rocca di Pierle appears right in front of the traveler. The photograph on the side does not give any credit to how the fortress has changed in recent years, from 2010 onwards.
First The tower was covered with a scaffolding which, on the one hand, disfigured its appearance, on the other. it guaranteed its protection from the weather and its recovery. Today the scaffolding of the tower has been removed, as well as the ivy has been cut, giving Pierle his noble image.

On the other hand, those who come from Cortona and are about to arrive at Mercatale, see the Rocca di Pierle suddenly appear after the last bend before emerging into the valley.
Perhaps this is one of the best known views of the fortress. On the edge of the road there is a large pitch that allows you to stop by car and take some photos and admire this glimpse of Pierle and the panorama of the valley.
When you find yourself passing by these parts, perhaps to participate in some festival or some village festival, do not hesitate, come and visit the Rocca di Pierle, you will be fascinated.

Last update 03/07/2016