Alessandro Sebastiani

In 2019, during excavations at Castellaraccio di Monteverdi, a collection of newly minted silver coins was unearthed at the base of a collapse layer. Historical records provide a narrative of the site’s history, albeit from a selective and privileged perspective. These records indicate that by the end of the 13th century, the castle had been abandoned, and its stones were repurposed for constructing the fortified walls of the borgo franco of Paganico. At that time, Castellaraccio di Monteverdi had come under the jurisdiction of Siena and was owned by prominent Sienese families. The borgo franco of Paganico was established by Siena during its southward expansion towards the sea, aimed at facilitating settlement in the plains and along key trade routes.

The five recovered coins, minted by Siena at the end of the 13th century, were found at the level of a recently abandoned floor, subsequently covered by a collapse of tiles and stones. These coins seem to mark a pivotal moment in the castle’s history: the clearing out of furnishings, the hurried dismantling of the lordly keep, and the inevitable transformation of the site into a quarry for building materials.

For once, material culture and historical records appear to align perfectly.