Monteriggioni - Day Tour from Florence

Today we booked into an all day tour of the Tuscan region including a visit to Monteriggioni, San Gimignano, Siena and wine tasting in the Chianti area. First stop was the walled fortress of Monteriggioni.

Monteriggioni is one of the most important walled castles in the territory and has an incredibly well preserved intact structure, almost as if time had never passed. The castle was built by the Sienese between 1213 and 1219 for defensive purposes and its position on the hill overlooking the area made it the perfect lookout for any armies approaching Siena.

The current structure of the village is essentially the original one, with the only changes occurring in the 16th century when the towers were lowered. The intact fortified wall consists of 14 towers along which the guards used to walk and patrol the walls, and two gates, one called the Franca or Romea Gate which faces Rome and the other known as the Florentine Gate since it faces Florence.

Due to arriving at Monteriggioni so early a lot of the little shops and cafes weren't open and the town was still fairly empty, which was a pity because it is the type of place you want to spend some time wandering in and out of stores, enjoying a coffee sat in the courtyard in the morning sun, soaking up the feel of the place. Unfortunately we only had half an hour at this stop so we had a quick wander around. We did manage to find enough time to pop into a jewellery shop and purchase a beautiful ring for my birthday. It is lovely having a one of a kind piece made by a local Italian lady.

We loved Monteriggioni and just wished we had more time to enjoy this beautiful Italian town. It is on our list for our next visit to Italy.Read more