The territory of Monteriggioni
Monteriggioni is very favourably located right in the centre of Tuscany, between the Via Cassia and the adjacent Firenze-Siena link road and ideally positioned for visiting the Chianti region to the north and the area of the Crete Senesi to the south.
The castle
Monteriggioni Monteriggioni is without a doubt one of the most classic and well-known Italian walled towns. The city walls, that appear to crown this ondulating terrain surrounded by vineyards and olive groves, jealously guard a surprising corner of Medieval history.
The fortress originally known as "Mons Regionis", built on the site of a previous Longobard rural settlement, dates back to 1214. It was built to defend the northern boarders of the Siennese Republic and to counter the advancement of the Florentine State, in full expansions at the time.
Over the centuries, the castle named Monteriggioni was the scene of many battles until in the August of 1544 when Captain Giovannino Zeti, reached an agreement with the Florentines and, in exchange for safe passage and his personal honour as a soldier, handed over the fortress, until then impregnable. The betrayal of this exiled Florentine, caused the collapse of the Siennese defences and marked the beginning of the end of the Siennese Republic.
Around the castle walls of Monteriggioni a moat was built between 1229 and 1230 but little or no trace of this can be seen today, it appears that, in times of siege, it was filled with coals and ignited to ward off the attacks of the enemy.
The wall itself is characterised by 14 square towers, with a 15th tower that can be seen only from the inside, and measures approximately 560 meters. The wall can be walked along all the way around and is characterised by a series of galleries. You enter the castle through its only two gateways, one facing Florence to the north named Porta San Giovanni and the other facing south towards Siena named Porta Franca or Porta Romea, both is excellent state of repair.
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Art and religion
For a thousand years, right back to the 11th Century, many travellers have crossed this territory, and it is for this reason that there are many churches, castles and medieval villages, originally built on Longobard settlements.
In a space measuring less than 70 square kilometres you can find an entire medieval and renaissance world where people live and work.
The particularly characteristic villages of Abbadia Isola, Strove and Colle Ciupi are typical rural villages of the ancient Tuscan feudal heartland. You can explore this unique corner of Tuscany by car, on foot or horseback, on a motorbike or mountain bike, to discover, hidden in solitary chapels and small churches, paintings of the Duccesca school or even the work of the famous masters of the Siennese school.
If you follow the routes of the ancient pilgrims you will discover a unique fusion of art and nature that makes this region unforgettable.
Nature
Situated along some of the most important ancient and modern roads, (the Via Francigena, utilised by travellers since 1000 AD and today along the Via Cassia and the new Firenze-Siena duel carriageway), Monteriggioni can be reached easily by car or motorbike, by mountain bike or on horseback, once there, you can start to discover one of the most beautiful natural parks in Tuscany.
When you enter this unique land, (recently awarded the "Bandiera Arancione", the orange flag, by the Italian Touring Club in recognition of the uncontaminated surroundings and the good lifestyle that distinguishes this territory) you will see vast areas of vineyards and olive groves, lanes lined with cypress trees alongside ample woodland of oak and chestnut trees.
This has been a wine growing region from Etruscan times, while the cypress trees where introduced by the Romans. However it is only from the Renaissance period that we can trace the cultivation of the Olive tree on such a large scale.
It will not take you long to understand how much the inhabitants love their land and how they have loved and respected it over the centuries. The Monteriggioni territory comprises the area known as the Montagnola Senese, a hilly area spreading over 14,000 hectares where the source of the river Elsa can be found, that attracts many visitors every year thanks to its beauty and history.
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