Monterongriffoli

The Upper Village

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Once upon a time the upper village of Monterongriffoli was the heart of the borgo and included the castle, church and cemetery.

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Over the centuries, earthquakes, cliff erosion, constant rebuilding and, latterly, neglect reduced the "Castello" (as local residents still call what is left of the upper village) to just a small agglomeration of farmers' dwellings.

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The buildings of the "Castello", precariously clustered on their steep tufo cliff, still soar over the rest of the village and dominate the surrounding landscape.

Only medieval wall foundations and bricked-up window openings survive to attest to the site's long history. At one time Monterongriffoli was more important than neighbouring San Giovanni d'Asso, the centre of the present-day municipal district of that name to which Monterongriffoli today belongs. The whole municipality of San Giovanni d'Asso itself was recently absorbed into the larger administrative district ("comune") of Montalcino.