Montemignaio is one of the smallest towns in the province of Arezzo and it rises at 739 m a.s.l. of altitude. Castello Leone, risen in the XII century, overlooks it. Also the parish of Santa Maria, a Romanesque church where the “Madonna col Bambino e i Santi” by Ghirlandaio is worth being visited.
At the beginning, an ancient Roman track linking Florence to the area of the Casentino and with Arezzo passed by the modern town. This road was still used also after the decay of the Western Roman Empire and, at the time of the process of “incastellamento” of Tuscany, the first fortified nucleus of Montemignaio was born. The first news about it is to be traced back to a papal bull issued by Pasquale II dating to 1103.
This document tells about the existence of the Parish of Santa Maria that then was under the control of the diocese of Fiesole. The area of Montemignaio, instead, was protected by the empire and was given to the Counts Guidi both at the time of Henry VI (at the end of the XII century) and at the time of Frederick II (first half of the XIII century). In this period, Castel Leone, or Castiglione, was built. Yet, the local population did not appreciate the government of the Guidi.
At the half of the XIV century, a common uprising of the inhabitants of Montemignaio and of Castel San Niccolò drove Galeotto Guidi away from the town and the two towns were given to the Republic of Florence. This is how the town hall of the Montagna Fiorentina was born also because Galeotto’s heir signed the act of renunciation to its lands in 1359. Unfortunately, Montemignaio did not obtain the advantages that many other centres in Arezzo got from the Medicean domination.
In the XIX century, Montemignaio had not any carriageable road, yet, and there was no elementary facility, such as a school or a surgery. All this added to the tragedy of the slaughters and the combings occurred during World War II has never allowed the town to experience an authentic population increase. Yet, this has also meant for the town preserving its ancient medieval beauty along with many local traditions, which its 500 inhabitants still keep alive