Monteriggioni is perhaps one of the most evocative medieval villages in Italy, stuated 14 km from Siena. Monteriggioni has became famous for its fourteen towers' walls which are among the best preserved all over Italy. The walls and towers are virtually intact, and the visual effect from a distance is quite astonishing.
The main piazza, the Piazza Roma, is dominated by a Romanesque church with a simple, plain facade, the Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta.. Other houses, some in Renaissance style and once owned by local nobles, gentry and wealthy merchants, face into the piazza.
Within the walls, just beneath them, there are the vegetable gardens of the villagers, which during the medieval times were used to survive. During the battles between Siena and Florence village people used to cultivate potatoes and onions; they had also chickens and rabbits to eat. After this ring of vegetable gardens there are the villagers' houses and on the middle of the village the church' square with its belfry used to call devotes early in the morning, at midday and at sunset. When there were sieges the belfry singed more often to advice of the coming attacks. They say that the smaller higher towers of the walls, called torrini, were destroyed by the villagers themselves to avoid their debris falling inside when the invaders shot them by cannon or catapult.
Afterward they have been rebuilt at the beginning of the twentieth century. But they have been rebuilt just on one side of the walls (that one visible by the roads outside) just for show of the village itself. The main road was at that time the so-called Cassia road, which cross the valley under Monteriggioni on the west side of it: so the towers are on that side.

Comune di Monteriggioni

Map of Monteriggioni url

Weekly market in Monteriggioni is on Thursday (Piazza della Pace, Castellina Scalo 8:00-13:00).

Abbadia Isola, reached on a one-hour foot excursion from Monteriggioni, is a small town named after its breathtaking 11th-century Benedictine abbey. Abbadia Isola, Island Abbey, so named in ancient times because of its raised position with respect to the marshland that encircled it. Abbadia Isola grew around a Cistercian Abbey called San Salvatore, founded in 1001 by Ava a member of the noble Lombardi family who were lords of the surrounding lands.
The site was chosen because of its proximity to the Via Francigena. Unsurprisingly, its sights are mainly religious. The plan of the church in the village of follows the basilican style with three aisles leading to three apses. There is a beautiful central stairway on the inside, a baptismal font dating back the 1400's and a precious polyptych attributed to Sano di Pietro dated 1478. The Romanesque Chiesa dei Santi Salvatore e Cirino guarding a grand 14th-century Maestà by an unknown local artist. There are also some frescos and the famous altar by Taddeo di Bartolo, one of Duccio di Boninsegna’s disciples, showing the Virgin and the Child. The 14th-century Eremo di San Leonardo al Lago retaining a large cycle of frescos by Lippo Vanni and a fresco Crucifixion (regarded as one of the pinnacles of 15th-century Sienese art) by Giovanni di Paolo.

The fields surrounding Badia a Isola were once a large swamp or bog that accumulated rain water from Monte Maggio. Isola refers to an island or the only solid piece of land on which the original borgo was built. Now the Abbey is surrounded by flat fields filled with sunflowers in summer, and it is an easy and enjoyable walk from Monteriggioni.

On Christmas Eve, a torchlight procession takes place along the Via Francigena. It starts from Piazza del Castello of Monteriggioni and proceeds along the ancient road to Abbadia Isola.

Casole d'Elsa is a charming medieval hilltop town and rises along the left side of the valley of the Elsa river. Casole d'Elsa originally was developed in three distinct sites, Il Borgo of Santa Caterina, Il Castello di Piticciano, and Il Piano. La Rocca is the most important civil building in Casole, today the seat of the Town Hall. The medieval walls, mainly visible on the Westside of the town, enclose it. In the middle of the village runs the main street from north to south, dividing it into two nearly symmetrical parts. Among the most important monuments to see in Casole d'Elsa we point out here the Collegiata, the Palazzetto della Canonica, the Chiesa di Santo Spirito (Holy Spirit Church), the Chiesa di San Pietro (Saint Peter Church), the Chiesa di San Niccolò (Saint Nicholas Church) and the Palazzo Pretorio (Praetorian Palace).

The church of San Niccolò, of Romanesque origin, has a nave and four aisles divided by columns and semicolumns, with two semicircular apses with mullioned windows. The central portal is from the early 14th century, while the portico is modern. It has 17th century frescoes by Rustichino and, at the high altar, one 14th century Madonna of the Sienese School.

The Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta was consecrated in 1161. Of the original Romanesque edifice, only the façade with the bell tower remains. In the early 14th century, before assuming its current appearance as a monastic church, it had three, naves separated by arches that rested on columns and pillars. Post-war restoration work salvaged the beautiful faqade, whose lower part has curved travertine ashlars, while the upper part is decorated with blinds arches divided by slender semicolumns. The final decorative motif is represented by the small arches resting on brackets and on small columns. The transept is from the 14th century. The door with its remarkable ornamental motifs is very beautiful.
The interior houses famous and refined works of art and the tombs of Beltramo Aringhieri, by Marco Romano (early 14th century), and of bishop Tommaso Andrei, by Gano di Fazio (1303). Annexed to the church is a Museum of Sacred Art with works by Domenico di Michelino, Alessandro Casolani and others.
can be admired inside the building.

The Pieve of San Giovanni Battista, at Mensano, is also from the 12th century. Notable are the sculpted capitals of the columns dividing nave and aisles, considered amongst the finest examples of Romanesque sculpture in the Siena area. From the same period and style is the Pieve di San Giovanni Battista, at Pievescola.



Weekly market in Casole d'Elsa is on the first and third Monday of the month (Piazza della Liberta 8:00-13:00.

La montagnola senese is the group of hills to the wet of Siena, peaking just south of Monteriggioni. It's ft great area for hikers and riders with plenty of Roman and Etruscan archeological sites, and little villages to explore. The Montagnola Senese extends in the districts of Siena, Monteriggioni, Sovicille and Casole d'Elsa.

Ampugnano - village that rises near the airport. The buildings still have their ancient medieval structure: a charming small church, the well in the main square and the one behind the church remind the visitor of the old way of living.
Siena-Ampugnano Airport is a small military airstrip in the Tuscan countryside, with fewer than one flight per day. The area is threatened by plans to build a new
intercontinental airport in the Padule plain between Rosia, San Rocco, Orgia, Brenna, Stigliano and Torri, an international airport capable of handling 4 million passengers a year by 2020. Since 2003 the project has met wide local opposition. [Brief history]

Ancaiano - this place was already inhabited in the first period of the Bronze Age. The chiesa di San Bartolomeo ad Ancaiano is dedicated to San Bartolomeo and was built in Renaissance-style in 1660, thanks to Pope Alessandro VII Chigi. The church is aisless, it is on the plan of a Latin cross and at the end there is an apse with projecting transept.

Villa Cetinale

Villa Cetinale is a 16th century villa in the Ancaiano district near Siena, Italy. Designed by the architect Carlo Fontana, the villa was built in the 1600s by Cardinal Flavio Chigi for Pope Alexander VII — Fabio Chigi. The gardens at Villa Cetinale are renowned as being amongst the most beautiful in Italy. Garden visits are Monday to Friday 9.30 – 12.30 (by appointment only).

Capraia - the castle of Capraia stands upon a craggy hill. The Ardengheschi Family had this castle built in order to protect their estate, when Siena had their previous castle of Orgia destroyed. Rumors said that it was impregnable because of its three boundary walls and because it stands upon a rocky hill. In 1100-1250 the Republic of Siena and the Ardengheschi Family contended this castle, then several owners succeded, till the last noble family that arrived here on the 24th September 1554; all the Family members were slain together with all the inhabitants of the village by the Marquis of Marignano's troops. The Marquis had an agreement with the Medici Family, according to which he had besieged Siena, that was nearly surrendering. Nowadays it is possible to see the tower that has been recently restored by the current owners.

Castello di Celsa - the first informations about the castle date back to the 1st August 1344. The Celsi Family, who owned the castle, had it rebuilt in order to transform it in a villa according to Baldassarre Peruzzi's plans, who also conceived the gardens. Nowadays it is possible to see only the southern tower of the previous building.

Despite the numerous changes made over the centuries, the Villa Celsa has always retained its 16 C character. At the centre of the villa building there is a triangular courtyard, closed off on the valley side by a wall with three portals, which lead to a gently sloping terraced area. Access to the complex is by means of an avenue that runs off at an angle to the villa, culminating in Peruzzi's circular chapel.

Malignano - Some documents written before the year 1000 mention the castle of Malignano. There is an oratory dedicated to the Archangel Michael; in this place the Ardengheschis and the Republic of Siena subscribed some agreements. In 1259 the village was burnt and destroyed by the Florentine troops.

Molli - the first documents about the parish church date back to 1078; on 2nd February the countess Matilde of Canossa gave the Bishop of Volterra this church as a donation, however, according to some researches into the walls, it could have been built during the Longobard period or the Frankish one. It is a church with nave and two aisles; the altar has been rebuilt, probably by using the stones of the bell-tower destroyed by a lightning in 1930. The front has a symmetrical structure and has been probably rebuilt in the first years of the XVIII century.

The recently restored Castle of Montarrenti, is a beautiful medieval hamlet near Siena. Recent archaeological excavations have dated the origin of Montarrenti between the second half of the 7th and the first half of the 8th century as a village of huts encircled by two timber palissades. The fortified settlement was formed by two parts: the castle itself with the keep on the top of the hill and the underlying village occupied by the peasant and little landowner. Today the castle's hill is still dominated by two massive towers built in worked stone with fine carved details like round arched windows, gothic windows, loopholes, gothic and Romanesque style portals.

Palazzaccio - ancient fortified building of the Republic of Siena. In 1333 the village was burnt by the troops of Pisa; it is still possible to see the damages, as the building has never been cleaned nor rebuilt.

Palazzo al Piano is found at about 430 mt. below the Poggio della Caprazoppa (hill of the lame goat). The castle of medieval origin, presents a rectangular scarpa base and on the east side you can see a well conserved arciera. The rest of the building was reconstructed in the XIX century. It used to be called the Palazzo of Balbiano, then later the Palazzo of Palpiano and finally Palazzo al Piano. it has Medieval origins and stands at a height of about 430 m. / 1416 ft.

The old parish church of Santa Maria in Pernina, nowadays known as the Parish Church of San Giovanni Battista in Pernina, is set in a splendid position at 500 m. a.s.l.
The Romanesque church was built in the XII century with a stone rank and the light color contrasts with the dark background of the thick ilex wood. Its architecture derives from the Isola Abbey near Monteriggioni, with bundled pillars and three apses, of which only the foundations are visible. The bell tower is an imposing construction on a square plan. A Lombard influence can be seen in the small hanging arches and the pilasters.
The bell-tower, is about 22 m in height and it stands in front of the church.

Personata - this small deconsecrated church, dedicated to Santa Margherita, has ancient origins, probably Etruscan origins, but the first informations date back to the XIII century.

Pieve di ponte allo Spino - this church already existed in 1050 and it was a halting-place along the road that linked the "Via Cassia" to the "Via Aurelia". Under the courtyard some precious mosaics of the Roman Empire Age have been found; they were part of a large Roman villa. The entrance of the church is interesting, as you have to go down some steps to enter the church. It consists of a building with nave and two aisles and it was built in late Romanesque French style, that is quite similar to the Gothic style. The capitals are gracefully decorated with human figures and geometrical ornaments.

Ponte della Pia - (Pia's Bridge) it is the most charming bridge of this area. In Etruscan times an ancient road crossed it; the bridge linked the Merse Valley to the Maremma Toscana. The bridge has probably Roman origins and it has been rebuilt during the Middle Ages in Romanic style. According to some legends, the beautiful Pia, Nello d'Inghiramo de' Pannocchieschi's sorrowful wife, crossed this bridge to go into exile in Maremma, at Castello della Pietra. Dante Alighieri, too, wrote about this legend (Divine Commedy, "Purgatorio", Canto V).

San Giusto a Valli. The first informations about this parish church date back to 994; it originally had a nave and two aisles, but nowadays there are just two aisles, because of an intense intervention made in the XV century. The beautiful church well dates back to the XII-XIII century; it was built by using semicircular limestone blocks.

Simignano - it stands at a height of about 410 m. / 1345 ft. along the road that goes from Ancaiano to Pievescola; it has uncertain origins, but it probably dates back to the Roman Age. The first informations date back to 1163, when it was subdued by Siena. The beautiful, small church is dedicated to San Magno and it has a wonderful bell-tower, which is simple but graceful.

Torri - small Medieval village, where the Abbey of Santa Mustiola is, which was built in the XII century and has a wonderful cloister.

The small villages of Tonni, Toiano, Tegoia and Abbadia Isola are really charming: they have stayed as they were, and here time seems to have stopped.

Pieve di Pernina

Villa Cetinale