Monteriggioni, Siena, Tuscany, Italy, Europe

Monteriggioni is an Italian town of 9921 inhabitants in the province of Siena in Tuscany. It is part of the so-called Montagnola Senese. The Monteriggioni Castle was built by the Sienese, by order of the podestà Guelfo da Porcari, in a period between 1214 and 1219. The land, purchased by the noble family Da Staggia, was the site of an ancient Lombard farm (the name of Montis Regis probably indicated a fund of royal property or that enjoyed tax exemptions by the crown). The construction of the castle by the Republic of Siena was mainly defensive, as the village was built on Mount Ala in a position of dominion and surveillance of the Francigena, to control the valleys of Elsa and Staggia in the direction of Florence, a historic rival of Siena. The construction of a castle practically from scratch was a novelty in the Sienese expansionist policy: previously, in fact, the city had purchased already existing castles, such as that of Quercegrossa. The circular layout of the walls was obtained simply by followi