Since 1083 · Casentino, Tuscany
Almost a thousand years of castles, monks, scientists and great thinkers.
It was no accident that the Etruscans, the Byzantines and the Romans chose it. The Castle of La Nussa stood in a strategic position by the Arno, bordered to the north-east by the stream of Nussae — today the Catriolo ditch — and to the south by the river. Rich in historical and religious monuments, Tuscany holds here, in the heart of the Casentino near the Alpe di Catenaia and the Pratomagno, almost a thousand years of history.
La Nussa
Here lived and studied Professor Roberto Assagioli, founder of Psychosynthesis and a friend of Carl Gustav Jung. At La Nussa he spent long retreats, held seminars with students and collaborators, and welcomed Jung himself: the villa became a true intellectual laboratory and a “spiritual home” where the boundaries of the human psyche were explored, far from the noise of the cities.
Beside the Villa, on the banks of the Arno, stands the old La Nussa hydroelectric plant, built in the early 1900s on the site of an 18th-century mill. Damaged during the war and rebuilt in 1946, it is still working today and, since 2001, houses the Water Museum of the Casentino Ecomuseum.
Cav. Uff. Dr. Gino Ciapetti, of the family that owned Villa La Nussa: Mayor of Capolona and of Strada in Casentino, Provincial Councillor of Arezzo, President of the Casentino Industrialists' Association and member of the Société de Chimie industrielle in Paris. The old hydroelectric plant beside the Villa, still overlooking the Arno today, is owed to the Ciapetti family.
During his Rome years Assagioli lived at 16 Via Antonio Bosio, the same building as Luigi Pirandello, who lived there until his death in 1936: they were neighbours and moved in the same cultural circles. Family tradition also links the great playwright to La Nussa, within the walls where Assagioli loved to retreat.
The old hydroelectric plant and, in the background, Villa La Nussa
11th c.
The Castle of La Nussa, by the Arno, belongs to the nobles Purpura and Feralmo di Corbizzone.
1086
The owners sell part of the castle to the Canons of Pionta, together with the church of San Bartolomeo; the site becomes the Chapter's administrative seat in the lower Casentino.
1163
Frederick Barbarossa confirms possession with the Diploma of Lodi (9 November 1163).
1182
Pope Lucius III confirms it from Velletri (4 April 1182).
1191
Emperor Henry VI ratifies the possession.
Rich in history, art and culture, the Casentino offers panoramic views that restore heart and mind. The local food and restaurants are much appreciated.
La Nussa offers comfortable beds, a kitchen, the intimacy of its rooms and plenty of space. It suits couples, solo adventurers, business travellers, families (with children), large groups and well-behaved furry friends.
“We love nature, good company and fine Chianti wine.”