Category: Castle/fortification/tower, Historic borgo/Town of art-historical importance
Itinerary: Ring Tour of the Castle, 23, Monteriggioni castle, Discover the sites of Assassin’s Creed
Monteriggioni still today retains many of its original 13th century architectural features; indeed, it is unique among Tuscany’s medieval borghi.
The outer walls, made of stone, run all the way around the top of the hill, in an uninterrupted circuit around 570 mt long.
The outer face of the walls is interrupted at intervals by 14 rectangular towers, with an extra tower abutting the walls on the inside. The walls must have made a great impression in the medieval period, too, since they inspired Dante to mention them in a famous comparison with the Giants in hell: “[…] Because as on its circular parapets / Montereggione crowns itself with towers, / E'en thus the margin which surrounds the well / With one half of their bodies turreted / The horrible giants […] Inf., XXXI, 40-44).
