In 1331, Guidoriccio da Fogliano besieged it for four months with an army of 4,000 soldiers and 400 horsemen, until it surrendered.

Following the Leopoldina Reformation of 1786, there was a remarkable population increase and the number of Arcidosso's citizens quadrupled in about 100 years.

The north side of the complex is characterized by a tower that rises beyond the roof of the highest building in the compound.

The historic centre of Arcidosso, one of the most striking in Amiata, develops in a long pyramid shape along the plateau dominated by the castle.

Local legend has it that Merlin, the enchanter associated with the Arthurian cycle, lived in a cave in San Lorenzo, a village between Arcidosso and neighbouring Castel del Piano.