Monteriggioni
The walkways along the walls and the “Monteriggioni in Arms” Museum
Inside the Castle of Monteriggioni, a fortress constructed by the Sienese at the start of the 13th century, visitors may tour the “Monteriggioni in Arms” Museum and walk the entire circuit that includes walkways high up the town walls.
Built in the early 1200s, the walkways along the walls are composed of two distinct passageways of different lengths, located near the town gates. The itinerary makes it possible to retrace an ideal version of the rounds of Medieval guards which likely existed in the history of Monteriggioni.
The two walkways provide an incredible overview of the castle and treat visitors to a breathtaking panorama that sweeps from the hills of Chianti to the woods of the Montagnola, all the way to the towers of San Gimignano in the distance.
The “Monteriggioni in Arms” Museum, its entry at Piazza Dante Alighieri 23, offers an educational exhibition that is spread over four rooms, exploring the time when Monteriggioni served as a military outpost of the Republic of Siena.
Each room, dedicated to a different century between the 13th and 16th centuries, contains reproductions of weapons and armour believed to have been popular in the area. Bilingual panels illustrate local history and describe the techniques of siege and defense at a Medieval castle.
The pieces on display were created following authentic, ancient techniques, using original elements if still in existence, informed by period paintings of soldiers and battle scenes.
Visitors are given the rare opportunity to handle and try on several pieces of armour, letting them enjoy direct interaction with the exhibit, making them active participants in an educational experience.
Panorama from the walkways along the walls: from the heights of the castle, the eye takes in an extraordinary landscape, immersed in nature and punctuated by small towns.
Become a Medieval knight: the Museum offers the opportunity to try on the armour of ancient soldiers.
Monteriggioni Info point
Piazza Dante Alighieri 23 – 53035 Monteriggioni (SI)
tel: +39 0577/304834
mail: info@monteriggioniturismo.it
website
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OPENING HOURS
Open daily
10 am – 1:30 pm | 2 pm – 6:45 pm
At the moment, only a section of the southern side of the “Walkways on the Walls” is open to visitors. The “Monteriggioni in Arme” route remains fully accessible.
On the same days, the Tourist Information Office (Piazza Dante Alighieri, 23) will also be open.
TICKETS
Single ticket
Educational route “Monteriggioni in Arme” (Piazza Alighieri 23, Monteriggioni) – M.A.M. Archaeological Museum of Monteriggioni (Piazza Gino Strada 3, Abbadia Isola)
Full price: €5
Reduced: €3.50
Under 18; groups of at least 15 paying visitors; pilgrims with credential; over 65; TCI and Edumusei card holders; holders of the Tuscany Student Card (Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays); individual Card Musei Senesi holders (Card Ticket)
Family ticket 1: €13.50
2 parents + 1 child (aged 8–17)
Family ticket 2: €15.00
2 parents + 2 or 3 children (aged 8–17)
Free admission:
Children under 8 (with an adult – excluding school groups); residents of the Municipality of Monteriggioni; companions; guides and teachers accompanying organized groups; people with disabilities (including organized groups); individual card holders purchasing the Card Musei Senesi at the ticket offices of the Walkways or the Tourist Office – Educational Route (Free Card Ticket); family members of Card Musei Senesi holders under 11 (Free Children Card Ticket); family card holders purchasing the Card Musei Senesi at the ticket offices of the Walkways or the Tourist Office – Educational Route (Free Family Card Ticket)
Situated just to the north of Siena, Monteriggioni was founded during the second decade of the 1200s by the Republic of Siena, primarily for the purpose of creating a defensive outpost against the rival city-state of Florence. For centuries the fortress carried out the duties for which it had been built, repelling sieges and attacks time and time again. Its military function decreased after the mid-1500s, when the entire State of Siena was annexed by Florence.
The circular city walls crown the hilltop with a perimeter of some 570 metres, including fourteen rectangular towers that rise from the external face. The magnificence of the towers was recognized even during the Middle Ages, for Dante famously likened them to the Giants standing in Hell (Inferno, XXXI, 40-44). Inside the town itself, where portions of the original ancient structure are still visible here and there, the building of greatest interest is the Pieve di S. Maria Assunta (Parish Church of St. Mary of the Assumption), dating back to the first half of the 1300s; its interior was renovated in modern times.
In the surrounding countryside there are many hiking and cycling paths to be explored through the “Montagnola Senese”, as well as a large number of villages, churches and castles well worth visiting, including the former Abbey of Sts. Salvatore and Cirino at Abbadia Isola (12th century) and the Hermitage of San Leonardo al Lago (13th century).
Monteriggioni is one of the landmark places along the modern ministerially recognized Via Francigena route, with roughly 20 km. of the trail passing through this municipality.