Borgo di Montefioralle

Montefioralle is a medieval hill village above Greve in Chianti. Stone houses and curving lanes preserve the compact form of a fortified settlement organised around its higher defensive core.

Why it matters

The village illustrates the hilltop settlement pattern of the Chianti. Its relationship with the market settlement below connects the history of the castle with the later growth of Greve.

What to notice

The roughly elliptical outline and concentric lanes give the village its distinctive structure. Santo Stefano occupies the upper part of the settlement. Its artworks include a thirteenth-century Madonna and Child attributed to the Maestro di Montefioralle. A house in the village is traditionally associated with the Vespucci family.

Context and history

Montefioralle is recorded in 1115 under the name Monteficalle. Its ownership history includes the Gherardini family. As commerce developed on the valley floor, the settlement that became Greve acquired a growing role in the district. Montefioralle retained its hilltop form, with later domestic and religious alterations contributing to the fabric of the village.