Montepulciano

 

View from our hotel room at Mueble il Riccio

The powerful city-states that dominated medieval Italy, specifically Siena, Florence and the Papal States (Rome) all vied for control of Montepulciano.  Montepulciano is a walled city atop a very steep hill, only accessible through the original gates.  It should have been easy to defend, but apparently not given that it was conquered multiple times.  The views of the Tuscan landscape in all directions is awesome.  

View of San Biagio

View from the Fortress

Entering the city through the Porta al Prato gate, one of the few portals through the medieval walls, the Corso (main street) winds its way up the very steep hill about half a mile to the Fortezza (fortress).  The column topped by a lion holding the Medici family coat of arms reflected Florence’s control of Montepulciano.  There is a palazzo with Etruscan and Roman relics embedded in its façade, reflecting the ancient civilizations that dominated this area.  The clock tower is topped with a bell-ringing pulcinella (a 17th century comic puppet figure, similar to a clown and court jester).  

Colonna del Marzocco

Palazzo Bucelli
Etruscan & Roman fragments

Porta al Prato

Bell tower pulcinella

Palazzo lion head

Street with Contrade flags

Street with Contrade flags

Porta di Farine

Via Talosa (our hotel)

Near the top of the hill is Piazza Grande, the main square on Montepulciano.  Palazzo Comunale dominates the square, and its resemblance to Florence’s Palazzo Vecchio is not coincidental.  The Duomo is notable because the façade is unfinished, comprised of its structural stone, they ran out of money before installing the marble façade.  At the very top of the hill, the Fortezza is well maintained, and houses a wine bar and shop.  

Piazza Grande, Duomo

Piazza Grande and
Palazzo Comunale

Palazzo Tarugi

Besides the walls and the ancient buildings, another vestige of medieval times is the neighborhood associations called Contrade (similar to Siena).   The Contrade maintain neighborhood pride, announce births and deaths, and annually compete in Bravio delle Botti, a race in which two Contrade members push a 180-pound wine barrel up the steep streets to the main square (Piazza Grande).  I can’t describe how incredibly steep the streets of Montepulciano are, this race is crazy!  We happened to be in Montepulciano on Brovio delle Botti day, but couldn't get close to the action. 

Bravio delle Botti picture

Bravio delle Botti picture

 

Bravio delle Botti parade

Bravio delle Botti knight

Bravio delle Botti flag throwers

It is obvious that you are in wine country, as every restaurant also serves as a wine bar, and they all sell bottles of wine to go.   There are lots of great eating choices in Montepulciano.  Osteria del Conte is near the Fortress, and was great.  Ai Quattra Venti on the main square was excellent, and the server we had was so much fun. The baked Pecorino cheese with black truffles was excellent, as were the entrees.  Caffe Poliziano opened in 1868 and maintains its original opulence, with a very small balcony with incredible views.  

Baked Pecorino with black
truffle at Al Quattro Venti

Osteria del Conte ragu

 Vino eccellente

We stayed at the Mueble il Riccio, just off Piazza Grande, a former palace with ten rooms.  It is a beautiful building, good breakfast, and amazing views from some of the rooms.  

Click "Older Posts" below to see the other Italian towns we visited.  

Fortezza

Piazza Grande well

Street view

Rainbow over Montepulciano

Sunrise on our last day in Italy 🙁

Montalcino

 

Montalcino sits on a hilltop, surrounded by some of the most valuable vineyards in the world.  The Sangiovese Grosso grapes that made the Brunello di Montalcino can be seen in every direction.  The Fortezza (fortress) sits at the top of the hill, and the town’s few streets cascade downhill from there. The small Piazza del Popolo (People’s Square) is the main meeting spot, with the venerable Caffe Fiaschetteria Italiana, which is a coffee shop, café, and wine bar from 1888.  The City Hall looms over the square.  Florence ruled Montalcino until Siena wrested control away in 1260, then Medici Florance recaptured it in 1555.  A column in the main square displays the Siena she-wolf, showing the nostalgia Montalcino holds for the prosperous times under Siena rule.  

City Hall

Piazza del Popolo,
column with Siena she-wolf

Fortress

There are lots of great shops along Via Mazzini and Via Ricasoli.  My friend Michele Becci lives part-time in Montalcino, and publishes the outstanding Our Italian Table.  If you love Italian food, I highly recommend you check it out.  Michele suggested several places in Montalcino, in addition to the Caffe Fiaschetteia above.  Great local honey at Vendita Diretta on Via Ricasoli.  On the main square, fine linens at Montalcino 564 and a great selection of wines at Enoteca Pierangioli.  And the Michelin star restaurant Taverna del Grappolo Blu.  

 

 

 

Sant Agostino frescoes 

Sant Agostino

Vendita Diretta (honey and more)

Something we noticed throughout Tuscany is that every restaurant also sells wine, and the wine lists in most restaurants are not sorted by varietal as they are in the US.  Instead, the list is organized by winery, and lists the vintages of the wines they produce.  Since different wineries follow different production and aging processes, it helps to know something about the wineries in order to select the right wine.  For example, purchasing a Riserva guarantees that it was aged in oak barrels, but some wineries age in oak longer than required by Italian law.  In retrospect, I should have visited my wine merchant before traveling to Italy, to identify a few Brunello di Montalcino and Nobile di Montepulciano wineries that we like.  This would make it easier to select a wine for dinner, and also ensure that we can purchase the wine that we enjoy in Italy back home. To be more economical, you can pick a great vintage (e.g 2016 or 2019), but order the Rosso instead of Riserva, which is aged for fewer years but still excellent.  

Visting the Capanna vineyard was a great experience.  Just a mile down the mountain from Montalcino, you take a gravel road another mile into vineyards, on either side of the road you see entrances to the elite wineries of the region.  We learned that of the 15 certified Brunello wineries, Capanna claims to be the only one founded by farmers (not local aristocrats).  They also age their wine exclusively in large oak barrels (FYI, Montalcino means “mountain of oaks”), and age it longer than many of their competitors.  For example, their 2019 Riserva will not be available until later this year, while many other wineries have already released their 2019 Riserva.  We splurged on a 2016 Reserva, since 2016 was a “five star”, on of the best growing seasons in many years.  

Azienda Agricola Capanna

Wine aging in oak barrel

Sangiovese grapes

Other views:

Montalcino church

This is not a donkey.  It's the
largest dog I have ever seen.

View of Montalcino

Scenic drive through Tuscany

 

We prefer to travel by train whenever possible, but to experience the beautiful scenery and small hill towns of Tuscany you need a car.  There are several substantial towns, and dozens of small towns to visit, and multiple road options to connect them.  We followed the Heart of Tuscany tour by Rick Steves, which is a full day tour and an ideal way to experience Tuscany, starting and ending in Montepulciano.  We chose to visit Montalcino on another day, to devote more time to that town and to the rest of the Heart of Tuscany drive.  

View of Pienza

Spedaletto Caste on the Via Francigena

Pienza

The 15th century Pope Pius II came from Pienza, and he established a plan to remodel the town as a papal residence.  The main square, Piazza Pio II, is surrounded by beautiful Renaissance buildings, particularly the Duomo (completed in 1462) and the formal Papal palace (Palazzo Piccolomini).

Duomo nave

Duomo

Palazzo Comunale (City Hall)

Pienza is a small, walled city with great views of the Tuscan countryside, worth a couple hours to tour, with winding streets that are great to explore.  The local specialty is Pecorino cheese, and there are numerous stores where you can sample the local product.  The Church of San Francesco predates the alterations made to the town by Pope Pius II, and still retains its original 14th century frescoes.

Pienza main gate

 

 

San Francesco fresco

Monticchiello

Not to be confused with Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello (he made up that name), Monticchiello is just outside Pienza.  A tiny hill town with almost no commercial activity, you can really feel like you are walking in a medieval town. The highlight of the town is the fantastic restaurant Osteria La Porta.  It was our best meal in Tuscany, and the small outdoor terrace provided amazing views of the Tuscan landscape.   

Pieve Santi Leonardo

Monticchiello street

 Monticchiello street

 

Santi Leonardo chapel

Santi Leonardo fresco

Altar - zoom in to see "corpse" of
Giovanni Benincasa behind glass

Our best lunch in Tuscany

View from La Porta

Osteria La Porta

Bagno Vignoni

A thermal spa has existed in Bagno Vignoni (pronounced “bah-nee-yo veen-yo-nee”) since the Etruscan era, and was populated during the Roman Empire.  Via Francigena is an ancient pilgrimage path that connected northern Europe to Rome during medieval times, passing through Bagno Vignoni which served as a resting place for pilgrims.  

The town that grew around the thermal spa in the medieval period is well preserved.  A large thermal bath makes up the Piazza delle Sorgenti in the center of the town.  The thermal bath is surrounded on two sides by hotels and cafes.  Walking Via Sorgenti from the bath, the thermal water flows under the street, then emerges and flows through troughs until it spills over a cliff where ruins of water-powered mills remain.  Bagno Vignoni is a beautiful little village, worth a couple hours and lunch, longer if you want to take a soak in the thermal water.  

Bagno Vignoni street

Piazza delle Sorgenti (the Source)

Piazza delle Sorgenti