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Monteriggioni Castle, a medieval fortress in Tuscany
Monteriggioni Castle is a medieval fortress in Tuscany, located a short distance from Siena, south of Florence and San Gimignano. Its construction was approved by the Sienese in 1213, and soon the town and the garrison stationing here were surrounded by a defensive wall.
The defensive fortress was necessary to prevent the expansion of Florence, the historic enemy of Siena as well as to insure the protection of the important route that was Via Francigena.
Conflicts between Siena and Florence
Over the next centuries, all sieges of the castle ended in failure. In fact it withstood subsequent Florentines’ attempts to conquer it. Until finally, in 1554, the castle’s crew was betrayed by their captain. The following year, Siena surrendered to Florence and Monteriggioni lost its strategic and military importance forever.
Impressive defensive walls
Inside the fortress, in the main square, there is still the same tiny church from 1219, the Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the medieval town seems peaceful and dormant.
The defensive walls surrounding Monteriggioni are 570 meters long and have as many as 14 towers. Their simple, medieval character means that the distant times still fascinates newcomers. 🙂 After all, the sight of such walls from a distance might once have aroused respect. Additionally, the fame of a fortress that had never been conquered… What more could a pilgrim want looking for a safe place to stay on his way to Rome. 🙂
Photographs of Monteriggioni Castle – stop along Via Francigena
Road to Monteriggioni 
The main square of Monteriggioni 
Main street 
Monteriggioni in the rays of the setting sun 
Porta Fiorentina 
Defensive walls and towers of Monteriggioni 
View from the hill where Monteriggioni is situated 
Porta Fiorentina 
Side alleys 
Restaurants in the main square 
Medieval Basilica of Virgin Mary and 2 of the 14 towers of Monteriggioni 
Basilica of the Virgin Mary from 1219 
Porta Franca 
Monteriggioni and the Tuscan vineyards by night
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Carly BB
I am a passionate enthusiast of travel, archeology, photography and dancing 🙂 On this page I try to combine the first three elements: P and show you that travelling becomes definitely more interesting when we discover visited places, and often inconspicuous ruins hide the most fascinating stories 🙂