The Borgo di Montemigiano is located in the beautiful Niconne River Valley, nicknamed the "Valley of the Castles" for its formidable architecture. As evidenced by the many remaining hilltop fortresses, crumbling walls, and gates, the valley experienced prolonged and repeated battles over thousands of years.
"You can still see this in the castellations of the castle towers and walls of Italian towns, Ghibeliine (allied with the Emperor) have fish tail castellations and Guelf (allied with the Pope) have square castellations. This can only be used as a rough guide because many towns swapped sides, and in the case of nearby Cortona, the fish tails were pulled down by the Medici because they made less of a target for cannon balls.
The wealth of the Italian city states and their merchant classes lead to the Renaissance, an explosion in artistic, architectural, engineering and, what we would now call scientific ideas. The castles along the Niccone Valley look very picturesque, but they are a constant reminder that the valley was not always the peaceful rural retreat that holiday makers come across today."