Monticchiello still retains the characteristics of the austere medieval fortresses. The sturdy walls and the tower are signs of the village’s intense past, a bastion of the defensive system of the Republic of Siena. But it is certainly more famous for its beautiful and famous cypress-lined street and for the theater show that is held every year (from mid-July to mid-August) on the streets of the city. Once a year, the village plays, literally, on the deep-rooted qualities of community and solidarity of the locals, as valiantly demonstrated on Colle Mosca in 1944, by mounting a performance of the Teatro Povero, transforming the village square into an outdoor theater open every summer, a strong signal of the people’s vitality and verve, a great work of reaffirmation and empowerment. These performances, written, staged and directed by locals since 1967, have been acclaimed nationally and received special recognition at the UBU Awards in 2011 for involving an entire village in a theater project.