The name Celsa probably derives from “excelsa sedes Virginis “; another theory suggests that it refers to the Celsi family, from Siena, who owned the castle for centuries.

The original site dates back to the 13^th century; initially it was a dark stronghold overseeing the valley towards Siena.  In the 16^th century, the Celsi family commissioned architect Baldassare Peruzzi to “free the imprisoned home and soak it in light and sun”, as written by Shepherd and Jellicoe, who visited it in the 20s of the past century.  They also wrote that ” the delicate magic of Peruzzi’s hand touched the original walls, accentuating their strength through the delicacy of the additions he made, in a way that is a revelation in the art of transforming the formal to informal “.

Peruzzi’s work is recognizable in the circular chapel, in the niches and on the terraced wall which runs alongside the entrance path.

With a trapezoidal inner court, closed by a powerful wall with three big openings which face the Italian Garden, the cleverness of the project comes from the way the medieval structures have been absorbed in a completely modern conception; the result is an original layout with three large arched openings that lead to another terrace to the Italian Garden.

Mino Celsi (1514-1575), who probably first conceived this ambitious project, invited the Archbishop of Siena Francesco, Bandini Piccolomini to seek rest in this shady tranquillity with the following  words: “Tu canzonetta mia rozza ed incolta torna ti a Celsa, e guarda, che la quiete mia non ti sia tolta”. This could be translated as “You, rough and ignorant little song of mine, come back to Celsa and make sure that my peace is not taken away”.

In 1554 Celsa was destroyed by the Charles V imperial troops. At the beginning of the 17^th century the Castle of Celsa was passed on from the Celsi family to a noble family of Siena called de Vecchi, to whom it belonged until mid-1800, when it was brought as a dowry by Giulia de Vecchi, who married the Marquis Amerigo Antinori.

At the end of the 19^th century, Giulia’s daughter, Maria Antinori, married the roman prince Giuseppe Aldobrandini; during those years the architect Mariani was commissioned to transform Celsa: the east tower was elevated and the building was crowned with battlements; mullioned windows were opened, the plaster was scraped to reveal the original stones. Upon the death of Maria and Giuseppe Aldobrandini, the Castle was handed down to their son Clemente, whose wife, Luisa von Welczeck, restored the park and the Italian garden to their original state.