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 Sketch by Steve Chambers, AIAChurch of Santa Maria Assunta, Monteriggioni, Siena, Tuscany Italy
In Dante’s “Divine Comedy,” the poet describes the Sienese fortress of Monteriggioni as a “crown of towers” and compares the structure to “horrible giants.” Today Monteriggioni, with its fourteen medieval guard-towers and position atop a hillock, allows us to be in one of the most breathtaking landscapes in all of Tuscany. The village surprises and attracts the traveler, who suddenly discovers, at the top of a green balcony, this crown of gray towers that, surrounded by fields, woods, olive groves, and vineyards, form a fairytale setting. On the day we visited the 13th century walled village, a wedding inclusive of medieval attire, was taking place in the main piazza at this Romanesque church, Santa Maria Assunta. This inhabited 800-year old town in the Chianti region provides us with a compelling illustration of how to use and protect our historic built environment. Pictured at left below, is an aerial view of the city of Monteriggioni in the hills of Tuscany.
 MonteriggioniMonteriggioni
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