Monteriggioni still has most of the structures of the thirteenth century and is a unique place among medieval Tuscan villages. The stone walls hug the top of a hill, the Montis Regis, with a length of about 570 meters. Fourteen rectangular towers protrude from the outer surface, while a fifteenth leans against the inner side. Their grandeur must have been very remarkable even in the Middle Ages, so much so that in his Inferno Dante suggests a famous resemblance to giants:

“[...] però che, come su la cerchia tonda
Monteriggion di torri si corona,
così la proda che ‘l pozzo circonda
torreggiavan di mezza persona
li orribil giganti [...]”

Dante, Inferno, XXXI, vv. 40-44.

 

Anyone coming to Monteriggioni cannot miss the experience of walking along the top of the castle walls. From the top of the outer walls, walkable in two different parts, one can admire the glorious countryside on all sides, looking out towards the Chianti region and the Elsa Valley, and enjoy an unusual view of the borgo itself. But, with a little imagination, you might even hear the footsteps of those soldiers who used to guard the castle from atop these walls…[3]