Today it is the owner’s villa but in the past it was a castle and the administrative centre of the Community with a very ancient parish(San Vito in Versuris), for a long time at the centre of a dispute between the bishops of Siena and those of Arezzo. It is situated on a clayed hill, at the southern base of which it flows the river Ombrone, while on the western part it flows the torrent Camerone, which flows into the first one, south-westwards. This castle, like the others of this valley, was a signory of the counts of the Berardenga and Scialenga. Now it is a villa with a farm of the family Tesi. In 1175 it passed under the control of the Republic of Siena. In 1202 it was attacked and conquest by the Florentine troops at war with Siena. In 1270 it was destroyed by the Guelph, which have taken the power again after the defeat of 10 years before. After that, the commune of Siena, in 1271, ordered that the inhabitants of Monte Sante Marie were not to pay the taxes and it was elected a rector, who depended directly from the podestà of Siena. On the 15th March 1371 this castle was attacked again by a Teutonic company, commanded by the count Lando. The first noticed statute which regulates the life of the Community of Monte Sante Marie dates back to 1544. The following statute, more modern , was enacted in 1727 and it disposes the celebration of the festivity of SS. Annunziata and the obligation of offer to the near ancient parish church of Saint Vito in Versuris. Until 1777 Monte Sante Marie was an independent commune and joined Asciano with “motu proprio” of the 9th December of that year. Today it belongs to the family Tesi and it is a farm.

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