2018 was a great year, full of changes and also lots of success, but success comes with a lot of work, so it was also a very exhausting year! And sometimes that exhaustion doesn’t allow us to do what we like the most, in my case, traveling.
We were already planning a big trip to South Africa (that completely changed our lives!) but we also wanted to do some smaller travels before that, so we decided to return to one of our safe places, one that never lets us down!
We came back to Italy!
We chose the Il Falconiere in Cortona (see article) as our refuge because we believe in coming back to where we were happy! And revisited some cities like Cortona (see article), Pienza (see article) and Florence (see article)!
Once we were staying in Cortona, and it is right next to Montepulciano, we decided to go on an adventure to see another typical Tuscan village, where wine has also an important role!
Montepulciano comes under the Siena province (see article) and can be visited in a day (like the majority of the towns in Tuscany).
The city is located on top of a hill, between two beautiful valleys, Vale di Chiana and Vale d’Orcia (one of the most amazing places in the world).
So right here we have already one of the highlights of the city – the views!
Its origins are Etruscan and date back to the IV century BC.
Besides being a mandatory stop it is also a strategic point to those visiting Tuscany, for its proximity to places of excellence like Pienza and Siena.
It has become more touristy these days because of both the Médici series and the Twilight movies that were shot there.
Montepulciano is one of those medieval cities we really want to discover and explore. With its Renaissance palaces, the elegant squares, the little corners, and views, it is easily one of the most beautiful towns in Tuscany.
What you can’t miss:
• Enter the city by one of its doors – Porta al Prato or Porta delle Farine – and from there on cars are not allowed, and that really makes the city unique, and a bit like time traveling!
• Before entering the city walls you can visit Chiesa and Convento di Sant’Agnese, the patron of Montepulciano.
• Walking around the streets and looking at the noble and elegant houses that take us back to the rich and important families that lived here during the XIV and XV centuries. Despite the fact that true richness arrived after that in the XVI century when the Médici took the city.
• Caffè Poliziano – Montepulciano’s historic cafe dating back to 1868. Elegant, refined and full of history! Its name is due to a famous poet, humanist, and dramaturge from the XV century, Poliziano, one of the right hands of Lorenzo de Médici, the Magnificent.
• FInd the Heraldic Lion of Florence (symbol of strength, power, and prestige) – at Colonna del Marzocco or at Palazzo Avignonesi – one of the most beautiful palaces in Montepulciano.
• Discover the facade close to the floor of the Palazzo Bucelli – where you’ll find tombs and Etruscan and Latin inscriptions.
• The elegant church of Sant’Agostino and even without entering observe the Madonna con Bambino on top of the door and Saint Agostino and Saint John the Baptist.
• Listen and observe, at each hour, the bell of the Tower dell’ Orologio o della Pulcinella.
• Visiting the Museo Civico Pinacoteca Crociani – in a palace from the XIV century where we can find archeologic findings, paintings from the medieval and renaissance period, and works from Andrea della Robbia.
• Spend time in the true heart of the city – Piazza Grande, stage of the main events of the city.
At the Piazza:
– Palazzo dei Capitano del Popolo and the myhtical Pozzo dei Griffi e dei Leoni – a renaisance work representing the power and prestige of the Médici family and Florence.
– Palazzo Comunale – similar to the one at Piazza della Signoria, and not by chance because it was ordered by Cosimo I di Médici!
– Duomo – Catedral di Santa Maria Assunta with fine works from Siena school.
• Walk around the fortress and stop and enjoy each corner, look at the valleys that go for miles and miles of splendor.
Still at Montepulciano but outside the fortress:
• Templo do San Biagio – Where a fresco from the XIII century of Madonna con Bambino e San Francesco, was once erected in a millenarian to which some miracles were attributed in 1518. Miracles so important that Poliziano decided to build a temple. The project was in the hands of Antonio da Sangallo, the Elder (one of the most important architects of Renaissance), that projected the temple in the form of a Greek cross and right in the center put the miraculous fresco!
Montepulciano is one of those places with the gift of transporting us back in time, a village capable of carrying the beauty and history of a sacred and imposing place with a touch of mystery and magic!
