Montemignaio

The ancient castle of Counts Guidi is the main touristic attraction of Montemignaio. The castle was a real fortess in past times, surrounded by strong rectangular-planned walls. Even the actual entrance door is not original but it was opened later on for the inhabitans'convenience, who mostly lived inside the walls themselves, in the so called Palagio building, once home of the counts and their courtiers. The Palagio is a stoned gotic-windowed building, with a little loggia placed side by side. Inside the Rock there are several interesting places, as the Large Cistern, which is cross-vaulted with 3 metres thickness walls, a real engineering work, and the pretty parish of Madonna della Neve with its beautiful gotic portal. A curious history refer to the tower's bell: when in 1809 the French soldiers invaded Montemignaio and conquered the castle, which had allied to Arezzo, they tried to break the bell which had been played to recall the inhabitans against the enemies. Since French soldiers failed because of its strongness, they took at least the clapper away, which was later on found in a blacksmith shop in Rovezzano and taken back in the viallage as a precious trophy.


THE ANCIENT VILLAGE We suppose that the name of Montemignaio derives from the latin "Mons Miliarius", to remember an ancient roman miliar stone placed along the street. We find the first information about Montemignaio in 1103, when it is named in a papal bull of Pope Pasquale II, which attributed the S. Maria parish to the Fiesolan Diocesy; but its importance is due to the fact that it was a feud of the Counts Guidi that enlarged it and built a defensive rock named Castel Leone or Castiglione. After the rebellion of the inhabitans of Castel San Niccolò, which allied to those of Montemignaio, the last count of the Guidi family abandoned the feud and the entire area fell under the Republic of Florence which gave it to the jurisdiction of the florentine mountain podestà.
THE CASTLE OF COUNTS GUIDI The ancient castle of Counts Guidi is the main touristic attraction of Montemignaio. The castle was a real fortess in past times, surrounded by strong rectangular-planned walls. Even the actual entrance door is not original but it was opened later on for the inhabitans'convenience, who mostly lived inside the walls themselves, in the so called Palagio building, once home of the counts and their courtiers. The Palagio is a stoned gotic-windowed building, with a little loggia placed side by side. Inside the Rock there are several interesting places, as the Large Cistern, which is cross-vaulted with 3 metres thickness walls, a real engineering work, and the pretty parish of Madonna della Neve with its beautiful gotic portal. A curious history refer to the tower's bell: when in 1809 the French soldiers invaded Montemignaio and conquered the castle, which had allied to Arezzo, they tried to break the bell which had been played to recall the inhabitans against the enemies. Since French soldiers failed because of its strongness, they took at least the clapper away, which was later on found in a blacksmith shop in Rovezzano and taken back in the viallage as a precious trophy.
OASIS IN NATURE... Montemignaio is the ideal place for who is looking for a relaxing and regenerating holiday, inside the nature and the beauty of the tuscan countryside. Click on the photos to enlarge them and have a taste of this paradise... ..IF YOU ARE FOND OF THE SNOW... Click on this snowflake and live the enchantment!
TOURS ... and due to the large number of places to visit, we planned three attractive itineraries for your holiday in Montemignaio: you have only to choose which you prefer and be ready to go!