Real Fattoria di Bettolle

The Real Fattoria di Bettolle is today a villa located in the homonymous hamlet of Sinalunga, in the province of Siena. It is remembered as the historic farm that belonged to the Knights of Santo Stefano, placed at the service of the grand ducal power to fight the enemies of the Christian faith, and therefore to the Grand Dukes of Tuscany themselves. The Real Fattoria extended over eighteen farms and was part of a network of ten farms whose construction ended in 1736, close to the death of Gian Gastone de' Medici and the transfer of ownership to Francis III of Lorraine. In 1799, with the advent of Napoleon, the Order of Saint Stephen was suppressed and its assets confiscated by the French government in Tuscany. After the unification of Italy, after returning to the Lorraine estates, the Italian government sold the ten farms, including that of Bettolle, to private individuals.