Monteriggioni, with its stone crown shines from the top of a hill, is one of the most memorable and recognizable ancient villages in all of Italy. The village occupies the top of a gentle hill with slopes planted with vineyards and olive trees.
The castle was founded in the second decade of the thirteenth century by the Republic of Siena, with the aim of creating a defensive outpost against Florence.
The village inside the walls is organized around a large square, overlooked by the parish church of Santa Maria Assunta. Inside the village there are many Chianti wine shops and craft and antique shops.
In recent years Monteriggioni has assumed greater tourist importance having been included within the route of the Via Francigena.