Podere Il Pino

The nucleus of Monteriggioni is a small fortified village. The castle has a diameter of 172 metres and is surrounded by a massive elliptical wall no less than 2 metres thick, punctuated by 15 towers and two gates and circling a hill called Mount Ala. Today the towers rise 6.5 metres above the walls and measure 4 x 6 metres, but only 11 are visible, the other four having been reduced to wall level. There was a walkway on top of the wall around the whole perimeter. In 2005 some parts of it were rebuilt, providing a unique and evocative view. The Franca or Romea Gate (facing Siena) stands at the foot of a keep while the San Giovanni Gate (facing Florence) is set in the walls, protected by one of the fortified perimeter towers. Entering by the Franca or Romea Gate, which originally had a heavy portcullis that was lowered in the case of danger, you come to Piazza Roma, the heart of the village. The piazza was originally only beaten earth but it was paved in the 60's with stone from the Rosia quarries (known as Tower Stone). The piazza is still surrounded by gardens and vegetable patches, very important in the past to ensure survival of a besieged population. The mixed Romanesque-Gothic style Church of Santa Maria Assunta, built in 1219, overlooks the piazza. It has a single, broad nave with vaulting cells where you can still see signs of the ancient trusses. The nave ends in a square apse with intersecting vaults and a 16th century wooden choir. The façade is polychrome, built in travertine and pietra serena. The portal is surmounted by an arch, above which there are brickwork decorations. The campanile, built by Mecacci with recycled material, dates to the 18th century. The church houses two 15th century tabernacles, a painting of the Virgin by Lippo Vanni, a wooden crucifix and a bell donated to the church by the Republic of Siena in 1298.

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