The word monticello is a diminuitive form of the word monte which means everything from 'mount' or 'mountain' to 'heap' or 'pile'.
Other forms of 'monte'
The word monte is used in a large number of Italian phrases and in a wide range of contexts. For example, if someone was swimming 'upstream' he would be swimming a monte whilst to 'screw up' or 'mess up' is referred to as mandare a monte.
And whilst un monte di soldi is the expression used to refer to a 'heap of money', a monte di Venere is another way of saying 'pubic mound' (with Venere being the Italian word for 'Venus'- the goddess of love).
As a place name
The word Monticello is most popularly found in place names, in particular those of a mountainous or hilly terrain.
In Italy, there are a dozen or so comuni or municipalities that share the name Monticello, with Monticello Conte Otto (province of Vicenza) in Veneto being the most populous example with just over 9,000 inhabitants.
In the United States, the most notable location to boast the name Monticello is a plantation estate owned by Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States and author of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson designed the plantation himself, and was buried on its grounds.
Interestingly, the plantation is located in a plateau region between the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the main Appalachian Mountains named Piedmont. The meaning of the word piedmont is 'at the foot of a mountain' and is also the name of a region in the north of Italy.
