Castello di Albola

Mention is made of Albola with regard to holdings of Charles IV and the first definite traces of the are to be found in some title deeds and in a notarial document dating from 1010 regulating the relationships between some tenant farmers in Albola and Arnolfo II., Archbishop of Milan. The diocese of Milan held sway over this area for around three centuries. Then it is known to have come under the control of the Abbey of Coltibuono. From 16th century onwards Albola became one of the most highly desired estates among the families of Florence.
This is demonstrated by the interest of the Samminiati who, at the beginning of the 17th century when the male line of the Acciaiuoli had become extinct, took possession of Pian d’Albola thanks to the marriage between Ascanio Samminiati and Caterina Acciaiuoli. When Samminiati died, the property one again passed through a marital alliance to the Pazzis, one of the most noble and ancient Florentine families, who in fact kept it until the middle of the 19th century.
For the next hundred years Pian d’Abola, which in the general census of Chianti in 1832 was declared as one of the very few self-sufficient estates anywhere in the area, passed through several hands until 1940, when it was acquired by Prince Giovanni Ginori Conti. Forty years later it became the property of the Zonin Family, which initiated its second Renaissance.