Guided tour of Monteriggioni and Abbadia Isola

Built in 1214 by Siena to safeguard the northern borders of its state threatened by rival Florence, the castle of Monteriggioni dominates a plain crossed by the Via Francigena, one of the most important arteries of the Middle Ages. Our guide will lead you inside the elliptical walls with the towers mentioned by Dante in the Divine Comedy, which contain a handful of houses and the parish church of Santa Maria Assunta. It is possible to climb the walls walkway, from where you can admire the Chianti hills, the green of the holm oaks of Montagnola and San Gimignano in the distance. The guided tour continues in the plain below, where the tiny village of Abbadia Isola is located. In 1001 Countess Ava founded the Abbey of San Salvatore all’Isola (so-called because it stood in the center of a swampy area), whose main function was that of hospital, shelter and hospitality for pilgrims traveling to Rome. The cloister and the Romanesque stone church remain of the monastic complex with an austere but impressive interior, embellished by the bright colors and gold of the high altar table.

Admission fee recommended: Historic Walls / trail

Duration: half day

List of places we will visit during the “Monteriggioni and Abbadia Isola”:

• Monteriggioni
• Historic walls trail
• Pieve di Santa Maria Assunta
• Abbadia Isola

This tour is best suited for: groups, individuals, schools