Monteriggioni, Italy
While Monteriggioni is not one of the larger medieval towns in Tuscany, it is certainly one of the most unique. With its perfectly round walls and 14 towers still fully intact, Monteriggioni is one of the best examples of a walled medieval town you’ll find anywhere in the world. Since we didn’t have a drone or a helicopter at our disposal, here’s a picture of a postcard that captures a birds-eye-view of the town.
Getting There
Monteriggioni is located between Siena and Florence, making it a nice pit stop if traveling between those two cities. Â It’s about a 25 minute drive from Siena and an hour drive from Florence. When driving on the Raccordo Autostradale Firenze-Siena, you can’t miss Monteriggioni perched up on a hill above the highway. You can also easily see Monteriggioni and San Gimignano in the same day (35 minutes apart).
History
As its walls, towers, and position on a hilltop would indicate, Monteriggioni was originally built for strategic defensive purposes during wartime. The Sienese built the walled town in the early 13th century as a front line in the ongoing war with Florence to the north. The Sienese eventually lost to Florence (the Medici) in 1554. Dante Alighieri also references Monteriggioni in his Divine Comedy, using the image of the town’s towers to describe the giants circling the infernal abyss.
Main Sights
The town is very small. The main internal road (more of a walking path) connects the two main gates and passes through the main piazza. The piazza is dominated by a 13th century Romanesque church called the Church of Santa Maria Assunta. There are also a couple of restaurants, a few small shops, and an armory museum…that’s more or less it. Monteriggioni is not one of those Tuscan cities where you can get lost exploring the maze of narrow streets, in fact, you can walk from end to end in less than five minutes. From our experience, it was also not terribly busy. We visited in July which is peak tourism season, and it was relatively quiet. Especially when compared to places like San Gimignano, Siena, or Florence.
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Walk the City Walls
For a small fee (4 Euro), you can catch a glimpse of the town from above. There are two sections of recently constructed foot bridges that run along the top of the walls that provide a interesting perspective of the town and beautiful views of the surrounding countryside.
Monteriggioni probably isn’t somewhere you would need to spend more than a morning or an afternoon, but it’s definitely worth a short visit. In a region filled with medieval cities in towns, eventually many of them can start to look and feel the same. Monteriggioni on the other hand, is completely unique. You definitely won’t regret a short visit.