Monteriggioni and its Medievale festival

Come and experience all colours, sounds and tastes of Middle Ages diving for the past at Monteriggioni (Siena)!!!

Monteriggioni is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and interesting towns of whole Tuscany. Today there are existing only a few completely walled towns that can be proud of its original medieval walls still standing. It dates back from the 10th century during the Langobards domination, but the walls we see nowadays have been built during the 12th century.

Monteriggioni fortress is a jewel located right in the centre of Tuscany, just outside the major city of Siena. This fortress has served as one of the defence settlements of the Siennese Republic. There was a long war between Florence and Siena during the medieval time for this territory. They kept on with this war till the year 1550.

Now, this town represents an important historic and touristic point in Tuscany. The territory of Monteriggioni is very large, and completely rural. You will find some beautiful castles and hamlets, like La Chiocciola, Strove and Abbadia Isola. There is a quite large number of fortifications and castles around Monteriggioni because it used to be on the verge of Via Francigena, the famous road that connected Rome to France passing through Florence. Part of this road corresponds to the present route of Via Cassia.

The charm of Monteriggioni is Piazza Roma, the amazing square inside the hamlet where you will find a good restaurant, coffee shops, ice-cream, wine shops and some hotels. Most amazing is the walk around the walls over a platform recently built by the local government. From this platform you have great views of the beautiful Siennese countryside, with all its unique colours. There is a reason why exists a colour called “Terra di Siena” – it’s a tonality of brown that exists in nature only in this region.

Each year in July, Monteriggioni community organizes a great event. It is the medieval festival, that happens on two different weekends. Actually, its much more then a party, it’s a historical setting and scenery. Everything is organized with the intent that visitors feel to be back in time, really back in the medieval times!

There are shows of jugglers and medieval music bands in the square. There are several performances of real battles that have took place in the region, with soldiers passing among people acting like if it was real. They organize lots of activities for children, like theatre, textile and hand-made paper workshops. You pay a ticket to enter, and can participate of all activities during the whole day.

The ticket doesn’t include food, but even the meal will transport you directly to the old times. There is a dinner menu of the day, served on large wooden tables and blenches by the local hosts, on “terracotta” dishes and glasses, and you will eat the delicious typical menu using wooden spoons. To drink, only water or house wine, just like once upon a time!

If you prefer to have only a snack, you will find many booths among the stands that simulate the countrymen working. Those booths offer you sandwiches, typical cakes and other hand made specialties. To drink, of course, good local wine! But don’t think about a sandwich as the ones you know. These are made of two big slices of Tuscan bread with a thick slice of ham or other kind of salame (cut at the moment with a long sharpen knife!) and two thick pieces of local Pecorino cheese. It really looks (and tastes) like a medieval “sandwich”!

While you are walking around the town, you will see on each corner a different countryman working: there is the blacksmith really working a metal sword, there is the a woman really making a bread dough; another woman will be really weaving a shawl and so on. There are horses, mules, chickens all around. Groups of soldiers pass forward and back, in military formation like you were in the middle of a real siege. Steet artists, acrobats and tumblers come from different parts of Italy to present their show: musicians that play antique instruments, men and women that walk and dance on the top of wood legs, the fire spitters and much more...

The medieval fest at Monteriggioni is really something you can’t loose if you are travelling to Tuscany on July! It is a unique and and special experience, more then a theatre exhibition… But that is not the only event organized in this amazing place! Monteriggioni offers shows, events and parties the whole year, like the “Festa dell’Autunno” during the fall, the “Fiacolata di Natale” on Christmas evening and many different music concerts along the year, like Celtic music for example.

For more info:

http://www.prolocomonteriggioni.it/

http://www.monteriggionimedievale.com/

Adriana Lucchesi for Tuscany - Villas .com

August 2007