The first mention of the Tornano “curtem” dates back to July  790 during the 17th year of Charlemagne rule in Italy. There seems to be documents  saying that 3 Lombard brothers, Atroald, Adonald and Adopald, donated Tornano to the monastery of St. Bartolomew in Ripoli (Florence), that was founded by their great-grandfather called Adonald. On 23 January 1167, as it appears from a  decree that is still kept in the Brolio archives, emperor Frederic Barbarossa  dispossessed  Warnellottus, lord of Tornano, of all his rights of ownership of the Castles in Tornano and Campi  “pro gravibus malefici que contra nostrum coronam commisit” (Warnellottus was found guilty for capturing an imperial messenger); the emperor and gave these castles to his general Ranieri of Berlingero. Warnellottus was notorious for his cruelty: as owner of the two strategic areas, Tornano and Campi, he controlled one of the busiest routes and imposed a tribute on all passers-by with his systematic brutality. He ignored the imperial decree. In fact, though he was present at the historical meeting of representatives from Siena and Florence  on 11th December 1176 at Pieve S. Marcellino in Avane, when the southern Chianti district passed under the control of Florence, he made it clear to the Florentines that, despite this decree, Tornano would stay firmly under his own  and Siena’s control. Warnellottus and his descendants got away with it for 16 more years, until 1217.  On October 4 of that year he was forced to make a shrewd political move: he changed sides and sold the Castle with all its annexes to the Bishop of Florence. Eight days later the Bishop of Florence by a special transfer Act ceded to Warnellottus and his relatives all the goods sold  as “emphyteusis” under oath of loyalty to the Bishop and to the city of Florence. Several raids of Florentine soldiers into the lands of Siena brought about hostility between the two cities. In the year 1230, troops from Siena  invaded the Chianti Gaiole area in retaliation of Warnellottus’ treason (e.g. the pretended sale to the Bishop of Florence); they thought it was their right to take Tornano from the enemy’s army that was camping  at Monteluco di Lecchi. Thus, after climbing over the southern walls, they took it and  Ranieri Pulce, who was in the front line over the walls, was given the wall crown.
The Siena troops attacked again and for the last time in 1251 and this probably forced the Warnellottus family to give up; in fact, they moved to Florence for good. The Ricasoli Fridolfi family took over Tornano. Within the walls of Tornano Castle there was an ancient chapel that became part of Pieve di St. Marcellino parish church. With the 1427 census the St. Quirico parish church in Tornano counted 32 families. During the devastating Aragonese invasions  in 1453 and 1477 Tornano lived up to its fame of impregnable place, opposed the invaders and never surrendered, whereas most of the castles in our Chianti area (including powerful Brolio) were badly damaged or destroyed.