In 1555, after a fierce seven-year war, Siena and the whole Sienese state fell under the power of Cosimo I, who became Duke of both Florence and Siena. To grant the recognition of the feud, Filippo II (son of Charles V), as it appears from the treaty signed on the 3rd of July 1557, forced Cosimo to renounce the Isle of Elba ports of Orbetello, Talamone, Porto Ercole, Ansedonia, Porto St.Stefano and Mount Argentario, and the Portolongone fortress, all belonging to the fallen Republic of Siena, so as to keep them under his domain with the name of "Stato dei Regi Presidi". The treaty included the giving back of the State of Piombino (Ferraio excluded) to Jacopo IV who, in return, gave Cosimo the Isle of Troy (Isola di Troia) and the surrounding rocks, vulgarly called "li porcellini" ("the Piglets"), as a gift to his wife, Eleanor of Toledo. Apparently meant as a way to give Cosimo solace for such a grieving loss, the gift allowed Jacopo to reinforce the defence of the territory south of Piombino, which was often attacked by barbarian invasions.
Look at the deed of 9th August 1560 (click here)
The gift signes the beginning of the history of Punta Troia, now Punta Ala.
Eleanor examined the donated sites with her ministers and decided not to build a fortress on the very island where, a century before, the watch-tower raised by Appiani had been tragically attacked: on a stormy night, a group of pirates assaulted the tower, wiping out the troops, while the reinforcements could not reach the island because of the bad weather.
Eleanor also rejected the idea of having the fortress built on the edge of the cape, which was too narrow, and thus she asked for a more suitable site. Jacopo VI agreed to add the mound of land brooding over the cape to the previous gift, so that Eleanor could raise the tower, which had already been planned, "15 ells in square, including the slope" (17th of February 1561).
After a year, the building of the tower was completed: it stood right in front of the Isle of Troy, at no more than eight miles from Castiglione, on a mound 35 ells high above sea level, with a square base. Beyond the drawbridge that led to the entrance, there were two floors, the first of which served as barracks, where men were under the orders of the Lord of the Castle.
The second was used as an ammunition dump: at the beginning of the 18th century, there was a one pound-bore bronze cannon, two ten-bore iron cannons, a few catapults and other guns of small calibre, along with ammunition. A small church was built on the south-west side of the tower, on the edge of the clearing, but it collapsed many years ago, in consequence of a landslide.
In 1577, Jacopo IV (or VI according to different sources) put up Torre Hidalgo, on the north-western side of the island, right in front of Piombino.
Set on the crag of Poggio del Barbiere, the new tower follows the structure of New Troy (Troia Nuova): a square base, sloping, with stone steps that end up two meters from the main entrance, which is connected by a small drawbridge.
Look at rhe report of 1616 to the Grand Duke II de’Medici (click here)
The towers, Hidalgo and New Troy, were connected to Torre delle Rocchette and Torre di Calagalera by a narrow footpath which ran along the cliffs and among lanes half-hidden by the bushes, treaded up to recent times by military guards for the surveillance of the coast.
Alessandro, natural born son of Jacopo VI, succeeded him in 1585, after his father's death, but on the 28th of September 1589, while stepping out of a private home, he was killed in an ambush set up by some exponents of the most important families of Piombino and Scarlino.
Alessandro's son became Lord of Piombino at the age of thirteen under the tutelage of his uncle, Alfonso d'Appiano, but died at the age of 22, leaving no heirs.
Many came forth with titles, honours and kinship, all refused by the emperor because not substantiated by the heavy sums of money requested. Even though by increasing taxes and duties the needed amount could have been easily recovered, it was not an easy task to find someone who could advance cash in such a short time.
For 28 years claims were laid and refused, princes were elected and dismissed due to insolvency, until 1640, when Niccolò Ludovisi provided the Imperial Chamber with the requested sum of one million Rhone Florins. He was then nominated Lord of the Piombino feud by Emperor Ferdinand II of Asburgo and Philip IV, King of Spain, with the people of Piombino and of the whole area pledging an oath of loyalty.
Niccolò Ludovisi, Prince of Venosa, was entitled to hand down the government of the area to his sons and daughters: as he was nephew to Pope Gregorio XV, he managed to meet his payment in time.
The government of Piombino passed from Niccolò to his daughter Ippolita, wife of Gregorio Buoncompagni, and from her, to her heirs.