Montefioralle is a village in

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

, a ''

frazione A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' ('municipality') in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidat ...

'' of the ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' of

Greve in Chianti Greve in Chianti (the old name was Greve; in 1972 it was renamed Greve in Chianti after the inclusion of that area in the Chianti wine district) is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Florence, Tuscany, Italy. It is lo ...

. It is sometimes claimed to be the birthplace of

Amerigo Vespucci Amerigo Vespucci ( , ; 9 March 1454 – 22 February 1512) was an Italians, Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Florence for whom "Naming of the Americas, America" is named. Vespucci participated in at least two voyages of the A ...

, though in fact it is known that Vespucci was born (on 9 March 1454) in Florence, in the suburb of Peretola. It is one of

I Borghi più belli d'Italia () is a non-profit private association of small Italian towns of strong historical and artistic interest, that was founded in March 2001 on the initiative of the Tourism Council of the National Association of Italian Municipalities, with the a ...

("The most beautiful villages of Italy").

Geography

The village lies about a mile west of Greve.

History

Town and village were an important stronghold during the wars between

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

and

Siena Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...

. In 1250 it became the headquarters of the League of the Greve Valley. The town was once endowed with two sets of walls. It had an octagonal shape with four gates. With the fall of the Sienese Republic, Montefioralle lost its prior importance and most of its inhabitants moved to

. The central church is currently undergoing renovations.

Notable residents

A house in the circular main street of Montefioralle is pointed out as the residence of the last descendant of

. The doorway is identified by the wasp ("vespa") and V of the Vespucci family.

Gallery

File:Montefioralle - street - thumbnail.jpg, A street of the village File:Streets Montefioralle 2012-09 n02.jpg, A street of the village File:MontefioralleGreveInChiantiSantoStefano1.jpg, Church of Santo Stefano File:Streets Montefioralle 2012-09 n03.jpg, One of the entrances to the village File:Montefioralle - town gate - interior view.jpg, Montefioralle gate

References

Frazioni of the Metropolitan City of Florence Borghi più belli d'Italia Greve in Chianti {{Florence-geo-stub