Montefollonico

Montefollonico is the other castle in the municipality and brimming with history too. The first traces of a settlement in the area date back to Neanderthal man, followed by the Etruscans and Romans. The foundation of the parish church of San Leonardo by the Cistercian monks is the origin of a fortified village, which grew between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries as a result of its strategic position opposite Montepulciano, which made it an outpost for Siena. The name derives from fullones (people who made woollen cloth) because the monks carried out the fulling process of the wool. A small industry already existed in Roman times, with small workshops called fullonicae. In addition to the churches and the entrances to the historic centre, the Il Tondo natural park is also worth mentioning.