The Medieval Festival of Monteriggioni

The medieval festival of Monteriggioni named after a Dante's Inferno citation: "Monteriggioni is crowned with towers" is held every year during half 'of July.
It is a celebration reminiscent of the history of Monteriggioni and cultural traditions of that period now past.People come from all regions' of Italy for a visit in this time of the year in Tuscany. It seems that in those days you go back in time in half 'of 1200 when Monteriggioni was not only a castle with a garrison, was also a town where life took place daily.

For the occasion, all the people dress in clothes of the period and represent their character: the peasant, the merchant, the soldier, the archer, the monk, so 'as to make the life of the village more' real.
The enemy soldiers have laid siege to the castle and laid the camp outside the walls of the castle instead of soldiers guarding the entrances to the castle and the battlements. Merchants display their wares in stalls. The plague running around the country while begging friars continue to copy their manuscripts. There are also storytellers, jugglers, acrobats and musicians have come from distant lands, to cheer the party.

Craft show with pride their ancient craft as a blacksmith, the blacksmith, the engraver, the rope-makers, the maker; veritable factories or laboratories as the mint coins, the water mill and the shop where they produced the paper . And then there are wizards and stologhi, swallowers and fakirs. You can also sample foods such as soup of farro and drink wine as a medieval "spicy" and "water mulsa" so that the many tourists to drink and can be fed with something different.
Everything 'faithfully recreated: no currency as dollars, euros and dollars before entering the castle you have to change money in the ancient coin "the shield of Monteriggioni" and no cars, just horses and mules, no electricity' only torches and candles, and so 'when the night comes, the country soul of a magical atmosphere.

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About Monteriggioni

Monteriggioni is located in the province of Siena, about half 'way between the capital and Colle Val d'Elsa. It 'easy to reach with the Firenze-Siena exit the same name.
Monteriggioni and 'without doubt one of the most' classical and popular Italian walled villages. Since the Middle Ages, his fame was such that Dante mentions his 'ring round' in the Divine Comedy (Inferno chant XXXI vv. 40-41). The walls, almost 'intact, cover a length of 570 meters and are alternated by 14 towers and two gates. Siena is located behind the door of a tower while Florence to open in the walls and it 'defense one of the towers of the fortified perimeter.

History of Monteriggioni

The village was built by the Sienese in the years 1213-1219 on a hillock at dominion and monitoring of Cassia. Its ideal position allowed to control and Elsa valleys Staggia towards Florence, a historic rival Siena, which at that time was visibly expanding its territory.
The hill where the fort was made to rise and 'natural, although at first sight might seem like a big' motto '(named after the classic Norman castles' Motte-and-Bailey' built on artificial hills with fence), and almost perfectly circular path of the wall was obtained by simply following the design of the contour of the land.

The design I try 'to minimize the weak points for excellence, the doors, placing links with the outside world to a single axle road crossing from east to west. In Monteriggioni the military building work appears physically separate from the town locked up inside but well separated from the wall by a buffer zone, although in some past times the village was more 'intense than they appear today and consequently this band more 'close. The village we see today is' basically is not true, fortunately, been the subject of speculations and tourism.

The only changes its appearance occurred in the early sixteenth century when, trying to adapt to the development of new firearms, the towers were lowered and gained ground at the base of the walls in order to achieve a 'bastion', act to give as little as possible to face enemy fire.