Montaione and its history

In the heart of Tuscany, lying on the top of a hill, you can find Montaione. The surrounding landscape is characterized by vineyards and olive trees, as well as extended woods, which occupy a great part of the communal territory. Looking at the view you frequently see cypresses, either isolated (once they were used to mark the borders of the estates) or in rows along the country roads to shade wayfarers or even near farmhouses as windbreakers.

The existence of numerous Etruscan-Roman settlements in this part of the country has been confirmed by archaeological finds consisting of necropolis and furnaces in the neighbourhood of Poggio all'Aglione, Bellafonte, Iano and Castelfalfi.

There is also evidence pertaining to the Paleo-Christian period in the crypt of the Oratory of S. Biagio (500 meters from Montaione). After the barbarian invasion new settlements were built around the old ruins, especially in the places that offered most safety, such as Paterno, Marrante, Sala, and then in the Castle of Montaione, supplied as it was with numerous to wers, and surrounded by solid walls.

The area came under the jurisdiction of the Longobard 'Allone of Lucca' whose name must have been given to the Castle itself since it was mentioned in ancient documents as 'Mons Allonis', then corrected to become 'Montacone' as it is written in a document dated 988.

In 1118 the parish church dedicated to Saint Regolo was built (2 km from the Porta Fiorentina) and remains a notable example of Romanesque architecture. The town of Montaione was officially recognised in 1257, and then involved in the wars between San Gimignano, Volterra and San Miniato, though it gravitated mainly in Florence's orbit, submitting to the city's rule in 1369 and thence sharing its fate.