Monteriggioni
and its castle

MONTERIGGIONI OF TOWERS CROWNS ITSELF

Monteriggioni and its medieval castle

Monteriggioni is one of the most beautiful fortified villages in Italy, and it can be reached from Siena in 10 minutes by freeway and from Florence in less than an hour, and there is a truly medieval air about it.

It was built by the Sienese in the early 1200s as an extreme frontier bulwark against enemy Florence, and managed to secure the independence of the Republic of Siena for centuries.
Even today, the castle of Monteriggioni appears imposing and majestic like a crown because of the walls studded with 14 towers, also mentioned by Dante in the Divine Comedy:

“[…] however, that, as on the round circle Monteriggion of towers crowns itself, so the proda that ‘l pozzo surrounds torregiavan of half the person the horrible giants, whom Jupiter threatens of heaven still when he tones”

Dante Alighieri,
Inferno canto XXXI, vv. 40-45

The village we see today is practically the original one.
Entering through the medieval gate, you reach the large square overlooked by the Romanesque parish church, the museum of medieval armor, you can stroll through the alleys and breathe in the atmospheric air, or you can climb some sections of the walls and also walk the outer perimeter in a pleasant walk.

In designing the Castle of Monteriggioni they limited the number of gates, weak points par excellence, as much as possible.
This is why there are two gates: the main one opens toward Siena, called Porta Romea or Franca, let’s say the main gate; the other opens on the opposite side, toward Florence, called Porta S. Giovanni or Fiorentina, with a white road that can only be traveled on foot.
Both retain signs of the hinges and holes used for the locking rods.

The Mariotti family awaits you at Il Feudo Restaurant, located right in the central square of the medieval castle of Monteriggioni, to enjoy the dishes of Tuscan cuisine paired with the best red wines of the area.