Monteriggioni, 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.
