Versione Italiana 
The tower faces northwest and is situated on the medieval city-wall of Asciano
between the Siena and Western gates, both now without trace, and near the former
Piazza del Mercato (Market Place), nowadays known as the “ Piazza del Grano”
(Corn market). Set above a brief stretch of land and the town bypass, it faces out
onto a stream called the Copra. At the foot of the tower was once to be found the
town flour mill, which was powered by the water flowing down from the fountain
in the piazza above.
The tower was erected during the decade 1342 -1352, during the Government of
the Nine in Siena, at the same time as the construction of the third and final set of
walls of Asciano, and the fortification of the castle. It was to be a bastion and
defensive tower, an integral element in the ring of town defences.
It takes its name “ delle Vallesi “ from a small community of Waldensian brethren,
which was based in a nearby Street from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century.
They were a company of lay brothers, mostly peasants and craftsmen, who adhered
strictly to the teachings of the Apostles but declined to recognize the authority of
the Church.
Following the Florentine conquest of Siena in 1555, the tower was reduced in
height on the orders of Cosimo I° dei Medici along with all the other towers and
turrets on the walls. Traces of loopholes remain. Rounded arches can be seen on
the outside wall.
The tower is based on a four-sided ground plan, rising to form a regular skewed
block. Converted on several occasions to provide domestic accommodation, the
building retained on its left face the stones of a ruined staircase, which has now
been restored to its original form. The rough -hewn stones of dark travertine were
mined from the quarries of Grottoli, like the rest of the stone used on the city
walls.
The interior of the tower, clearly planned for a different purpose, retains its
division into levels, with access through stairs which for the most part are built in
original materials. Floors of “terracotta” bricks set over roughstone vaulted ceilings
divide the tower into four levels, including a roof terrace which offers sweeping
panoramic views of the surrounding town and country.
(Italiano)
La Torre delle Vallesi
La torre è esposta a nord-ovest, sulla cerchia muraria medievale, tra
la porta "senese" e la porta "occidentale".
Venne eretta nel decennio 1342-1352, coeva alla costruzione delle
nuove mura (terzo e ultimo loro ampliamento) e delle fortificazioni
del castello di Asciano durante il governo dei "Nove" a Siena.
Torre di guardia e baluardo, non separata ma elemento integrante del
sistema difensivo.
E denominata "delle Vallesi", poiché nel vicolo adiacente si trovava
nei secoli XIII-XV la sede di una piccola comunità di preti valdesi.
Una comunità di laici (in maggioranza contadini e artigiani) che, pur
osservando con rigore gli insegnamenti evangelici, dissentivano dal
magistero della Chiesa.
L'edificio ha una struttura a pianta quadrata, forma parallelepipeda.
Venne mozzata dopo il 1555 per ordine di Cosimo I dei Medici alla
stregua delle altre torri e torrette delle mura.
Restano tracce di feritoie.
Archi a tutto sesto si evidenziano dall'esterno fra le coperture.
Rimaneggiata in tempi diversi per abitazione, ha conservato le pietre
della scala in rovina sul fianco sinistro, ora ricostruita come era ai suoi
primordi. Le pietre sbozzate sono di travertino scuro estratto dalle
cave di Gròttoli, tali e quali a quelle di tutta la cinta muraria.
L'interno, destinato s'intende ad altro uso, ha mantenuto la divisio-
ne in ripiani, ai quali si accede mediante scalette prevalentemente in
muratura (mattoni originali). Pavimenti mattonati sovrastano alle volte
di pietra grezza sì da scindere la torre in quattro sezioni, compresa la
terrazza, da dove si gode il panorama del paese a trecentosessanta gradi.
| Restructuring | |
| Before | After |
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"Tower History - Asciano Siena"
