porta di Follonica

This was the gate that led to the Abbey of Follonica, a short distance below the current village. Only the supporting side columns of the gate remain from the original. It would have had a rounded brick exterior arch and a lower internal arch, also in brick. To the sides of the gate were two round towers, part of the restructuring of the fortifications carried out in the late 15th to early 16th centuries following the advent of firearms. Of the two towers only one remains. The other was seriously damaged upon the entry of Florentine troops into Montefollonico and never restored. A map of the fortifications preserved in the National Library in Florence shows there was a rampart to the front of the gate to prevent easy access to the village.