Monteriggioni still today retains many of its original 13th century architectural features. Indeed, it is unique among Tuscany’s medieval hamlets. The outer walls, made of stone, run all the way around the top of the hill, in an uninterrupted 570-metre-long boundary. The outer face of the walls is interrupted at intervals by 14 rectangular towers, with an extra tower abutting the walls on the inside. The walls must have made a great impression in the medieval period, too, since they inspired Dante to mention them in a famous comparison with the Giants in hell:
“[…] Because as on its circular parapets / Montereggione crowns itself with towers, / E’en thus the margin which surrounds the well / With one half of their bodies turreted / The horrible giants […] Inf., XXXI, 40-44).
Source: www.monteriggioniturismo.it