Perched on a hilltop, overlooking the rolling hills of Tuscany, sits Montepulciano. This medieval city, with its underground wine cellars, medieval church buildings, and scenic streets, is a delight to discover. On this information, we checklist one of the best issues to do in Montepulciano, the place to go wine tasting with a view of Val d’Orcia, and how one can plan your go to.
Fascinating Info about Montepulciano
Montepulciano is without doubt one of the bigger hill cities in Tuscany. It dates again to the 4th century BC, to the time when this land was inhabited by the Etruscans. The Etruscan civilization lived within the area of Tuscany between the ninth century and 1st century BC. They left behind caves and historic constructions, a few of which may nonetheless be seen on a go to to Montepulciano.
The Montepulciano that we see at this time was constructed across the 14th century AD. Like most of the different Tuscan hill cities, Montepulciano has a principal road lined with retailers and eating places, a number of piazzas, a number of museums to go to, and a protracted checklist of church buildings.
Montepulciano has made an look in fairly a number of films, together with Underneath the Tuscan Solar, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, The English Affected person, and A Midsummer Night time’s Dream.
Greatest Issues to Do in Montepulciano
1. Stroll the Metropolis Streets
Montepulciano is lengthy and slender. Within the north finish of city, Porta al Prato marks the doorway into Montepulciano. A tangle of streets runs south, ending close to Fortezza Medicea. As you stroll into city on Porta al Prato, it’s an uphill stroll till you attain Piazza Grande.
The primary street by way of city, additionally known as Il Corso, modifications names a number of instances because it makes it approach by way of Montepulciano. It begins at Porta al Prato and is named By way of di Gracciano, By way of di Voltaia, By way of dell’Opio, and By way of del Poliziano, earlier than ending at Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Servi.
From Il Corso, the aspect streets result in viewpoints, retailers, wine cellars, and eating places.
Top-of-the-line issues to do in Montepulciano is to stroll Il Corso and discover these aspect streets. You by no means know what you would possibly discover, however there’s a good likelihood you’ll come throughout small eating places, boutique retailers, and quiet corners away from the busier touristy areas.
Il Corso | Greatest Issues to Do in Montepulciano
Il Corso | Greatest Issues to Do in Montepulciano
2. Piazza Grande
Piazza Grande is the principle sq. of Montepulciano. This massive, open sq. is lined with a number of the most essential buildings in Montepulciano, together with City Corridor, the Cathedral of the Assumption, Contucci Palace, Palazzo dei Capitani del Popolo, and the Nicely of the Grifi and the Lions.
Sitting on Piazza Grande is the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption. This cathedral will not be as eye-catching as different cathedrals in cities like Siena or Lucca, nevertheless it does occupy prime actual property in Piazza Grande. The cathedral was consecrated in 1712 and inside is the Assumption of the Virgin, painted by Taddeo di Bartolo in 1401.
Piazza Grande | Greatest Issues to Do in Montepulciano
Nicely of the Grifi and the Lions
3. Climb the Clock Tower on Palazzo Comunale
When you have plans to go to Florence, it’s possible you’ll discover some similarities between the city corridor of Montepulciano (Palazzo Comunale) and the city corridor (Palazzo Vecchio) in Florence. Each buildings share an virtually an identical architectural model. The façade of the Palazzo Comunale dates again to 1424 and was designed by architect Michelozzo.
For among the finest views of Montepulciano, climb to the highest of the clock tower on Palazzo Comunale. You might have the choice to take the steps all the option to the highest (150 whole) or trip the elevator to the terrace and stroll the remaining 52 steps to the highest.
View from the clock tower | Greatest Issues to Do in Montepulciano
View of the Temple of San Biagio from the clock tower.
Yet another view from the clock tower.
4. Style Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is the principle wine that’s produced within the vineyards close to Montepulciano. To be a Nobile di Montepulciano, the wine have to be comprised of a minimal of 70% Sangiovese grapes, and it additionally accommodates small quantities of Canaiolo Nero and Mammolo. The wine is aged for a minimum of two years, and a minimum of one 12 months of this must be in an oak barrel.
There are quite a few locations in Montepulciano the place you possibly can style Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, starting from enotecas (wine retailers), eating places, and underground cellars. Extra on this subsequent.
We had a pleasant wine tasting expertise at Pulcino Di Matassini Ercolani Gabriella Fattoria (say that thrice quick!). This wine store and restaurant is positioned on the north finish of city. It’s a pleasant place to finish your go to to Montepulciano, when you parked on the north finish of city, as a result of if you buy some wine, you received’t have to hold it far to get again to your automotive.
Pulcino Di Matassini Ercolani Gabriella Fattoria
5. Go to an Underground Wine Cellar
Visiting an underground wine cellar is without doubt one of the greatest issues to do in Montepulciano. Some will be visited on a tour, some on a tour with a tasting, or you possibly can merely do a tasting within the cellar.
De’Ricci Cantine Storiche is without doubt one of the hottest and well-known wine cellars in Montepulciano. With excessive vaulted ceilings, huge barrels of wine, and even a number of statues right here and there, that is one to place in your checklist. For one of the best expertise, ebook a tour and tasting, which you are able to do prematurely on the official web site.
De’Ricci Cantine Storiche | Greatest Issues to Do in Montepulciano
De’Ricci Cantine Storiche
Cantina Contucci is one other wine cellar we advocate. We had been permitted to stroll by way of the cellar with out doing a tasting or tour, so when you shortly wish to see the within of an underground wine cellar, that is one to think about.
Cantina Contucci | Greatest Issues to Do in Montepulciano
Cantina Ercolani, additionally known as Azienda Agricola Ercolani, is one other extremely popular cellar to go to. We have now blended ideas on this one. The one option to see the underground cellar is on a free tour, which final 20 minutes, and are supplied very incessantly all through the day. You study a number of the historical past of Montepulciano on this tour, which is fascinating. The tour ends with a wine tasting, and once we did this, it was a crowded and rushed, and total it was not expertise.
Cantina Ercolani | Greatest Issues to Do in Montepulciano
Cantina Ercolani Cellar
6. Go to Fortezza Medicea (& Go Wine Tasting)
This Medici Fortress sits on the south finish of Montepulciano. There aren’t any partitions to stroll or towers to climb, however you possibly can stroll by way of a botanical backyard and go wine tasting.
Inside the fortress is Enoliteca Consorzio Vino Nobile. It’s right here you can style Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Rosso di Montepulciano, and Vin Santo di Montepulciano wines.
If you first enter, decide up a “bank card.” This card will get inserted into the wine dispensary and also you get charged for every wine you style (the common price in 2022 was €2 per tasting). The price of the tasting and the price of every bottle of wine is listed on the bottles.
As you stroll by way of the store, you might be strolling on glass flooring and may look down into the excavations of the fortress. After you have your wine, exit out of the again of the store, have a seat at one of many tables, and benefit from the view, and the wine, in fact.
If you happen to style something you want, buy it in your approach out of the store.
7. Vaduta Panoramica
For a view of the Tuscan countryside, go to Vaduta Panoramica. Right here’s the view (and listed here are the GPS coordinates so you understand the place to seek out it: 43°05’40.0″N 11°46’51.0″E).
Vaduta Panoramica | Greatest Issues to Do in Montepulciano
8. Go to a Museum
If you wish to study extra about Montepulciano, there are a number of museums value mentioning (however when you favor to sip wine and stroll town streets, and skip the museums, that’s simply tremendous, too).
The Civic Museum
The Civic Museum accommodates Etruscan artifacts and artistic endeavors, together with two altarpieces that had been previously in Palazzo Comunale. For hours and pricing, go to the official web site.
Civic Museum | Greatest Issues to Do in Montepulciano
The Torture Museum
It looks as if each small city in Tuscany has a Torture Museum, and Montepulciano is not any completely different. For hours and pricing, go to the official web site.
9. Temple of San Biagio (Chiesa di San Biagio)
The Temple of San Biagio is a church that was constructed between 1518 and 1548. It’s completely different from many different church buildings one would possibly see in Tuscany, with its Greek cross plan and central dome. It’s an Italian Renaissance masterpiece.
Temple of San Biagio | Greatest Issues to Do in Montepulciano
This church sits simply exterior of Montepulciano, down the hill from the historic metropolis heart. To get right here, we drove and parked within the lot subsequent to the church.
There’s a small price to enter the church. For hours and pricing, go to the official web site.
10. Take a Tour of Montepulciano
There are a number of nice excursions you can take, together with wine tastings, cellar visits, and meals tastings.
On this tour, style the wines of Montepulciano, tour a wine cellar, and study concerning the historical past of winemaking within the space.
This tour features a wine tasting and lunch in a wine cellar.
On this small group class, learn to make tiramisu and several other pasta dishes.
Issues to Do in Montepulciano: On a Map
Find out how to Use This Map: Click on the tab within the high left hand nook of the map to view the layers (issues to do and eating places). You possibly can click on the test marks to cover or present layers. If you happen to click on the icons on the map, you will get extra details about every focal point.
If you happen to click on the star subsequent to the title of the map, this map will likely be added to your Google Maps account. To view it in your telephone or laptop, open Google Maps, click on the menu button, go to “Your Locations,” click on Maps, and you will note this map in your checklist.
How A lot Time Do You Want in Montepulciano?
To go to the principle highlights of Montepulciano, you want about half of a day, or roughly 4 hours, on the town. This provides you sufficient time to walk town streets, buy groceries, climb the clock tower, go wine tasting at one or two locations, and have lunch or dinner. With a full day, you possibly can completely discover Montepulciano and go wine tasting at a number of completely different cellars.
Useful Suggestions for Visiting Montepulciano
To test the climate forecast, we used Meteo Italy and the forecast was comparatively correct. There’s additionally an app you can obtain onto your telephone.
If you happen to plan to have dinner in Montepulciano, make your reservation prematurely. In our expertise in Italy, you’ll need to have a reservation for dinner on the extremely rated eating places.
The place to Eat in Montepulciano
La Vineria di Montepulciano is without doubt one of the highest rated eating places on the town. They serve meat and cheese platters and an assortment of native pasta dishes. L’Altro Cantuccio Ristorante, Rosso Rubino Trattoria, and Le Logge del Vignola (a Michelin-starred restaurant) additionally get rave critiques.
Find out how to Get to Montepulciano
By Prepare
There aren’t any practice stations in Montepulciano. Getting right here utilizing the practice or bus is sophisticated and takes fairly a little bit of time.
If you’re touring by public transportation, it’s doable to take a practice from Siena to the Montepulciano practice station, however this practice station is positioned a number of kilometers from the historic metropolis heart, in Montepulciano stazione. From right here, take a bus or taxi into city.
The Chiusi practice station, which is farther away from Montepulciano, sits on a serious practice line, so in case you are coming from Rome, Florence, or one other Italian metropolis, that is the station for Montepulciano. From right here, take a bus to Montepulciano.
By Bus
Buses join Siena and Montepulciano. You possibly can test the bus timetable right here.
By Automotive
The easiest way to get to Montepulciano is by rental automotive.
Listed here are driving distances and instances from close by locations:
- Montalcino: 36 km, 45 minutes
- Pienza: 15 km, 20 minutes
- San Quirico d’Orcia: 23 km, half-hour
- Siena: 65 okay, 1 hour
- Florence: 110 km, 1.5 hours
- Arezzo: 53 km, 55 minutes
Parking in Montepulciano
There are quite a few parking heaps in Montepulciano, exterior of the historic metropolis heart.
On our most up-to-date go to, we parked in a parking storage positioned beneath the Conad grocery retailer, simply north of the historic metropolis heart. There are quite a few parking heaps (parcheggios) positioned across the metropolis heart. You possibly can mark them in your Google Map earlier than you go, or as you strategy Montepulciano, there are indicators directing you to the parking heaps (P1, P2, and so forth). Noon, have some endurance, as a result of the heaps will be full, significantly these closest to town heart.
Excursions of Montepulciano
If you happen to don’t plan on renting a automotive whereas in Tuscany, you possibly can go to Montepulciano on a tour. This takes care of your transportation to and from Montepulciano, which may prevent plenty of time, since Montepulciano shouldn’t be simply reachable by public transportation. Listed here are a number of excursions of Montepulciano that begin from close by cities.
Issues to Do Close to Montepulciano
There are a number of Tuscan hill cities and viewpoints that may be added onto your go to to Montalcino. In at some point, it’s doable to go to Pienza, Montepulciano, and Montalcino, when you transfer quick and don’t thoughts visiting simply the highlights of every city. If you need a extra leisurely expertise (and never really feel like you might be in a race), decide two of those cities.
Pienza is a really small city, a lot smaller than Montepulciano. Attempting pecorino cheese and strolling town partitions are high experiences right here, so a go to right here cany be very fast. Pienza is a 20-minute drive from Montalcino.
Montalcino is a small city that may be a 45-minute drive from Montepulciano. That is one among our favourite cities in Tuscany. It’s small, it’s rather less crowded than Pienza and Montepulciano, and there are quite a few retailers the place you possibly can style (and purchase) Brunello di Montalcino wine. Plus, you possibly can climb the tower of the fortress for beautiful views of Tuscany.
San Quirico d’Orcia is a lesser recognized however lovely city in Val d’Orcia. A go to right here is extra about strolling the principle road that runs by way of city, having lunch or dinner, and visiting a spot that has a much less touristy vibe than the cities talked about above. It’s simply 20 minutes from Montalcino.
There are a number of great vineyards to go to close to Montepulciano. We visited Avignonesi, which is positioned between Montepulciano and Arezzo (attempt their vin santo…it’s in contrast to anything we tasted in Tuscany), however Icario Vineyard can also be extremely rated and it’s nearer to Montepulciano.
The place We Stayed
We spent three nights at Villa le Prata, which is a brief drive from Montepulciano and a terrific house base for exploring Val d’Orcia. At Villa le Prata, we received the expertise of staying in a Tuscan villa, which was further particular for the reason that finish of September is harvest season. On the villa, we had dinner every evening, plus sundown wine tastings and excursions of the winery.
Staying in a villa is an excellent expertise to have whereas in Tuscany. There are various villas positioned within the space, however we selected Villa le Prata because it will get rave critiques, and now we have to agree. Staying right here was one among our highlights of our time in Tuscany.
Villa le Prata
Incessantly Requested Questions
Is Montepulciano value visiting?
For wine aficionados on a go to to Tuscany, Montepulciano is to not be missed. From its underground wine cellars and enotecas, this city is one of the best place in Tuscany to style quite a lot of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. And if wine tasting isn’t on the high of your to do checklist, Montepulciano is enjoyable to discover, with its twisting streets, views over Tuscany, and boutique retailers.
When is one of the best time to go to Montepulciano?
The most effective time to go to Montepulciano is within the late spring (Could into mid-June), when the fields in Val d’Orcia are a vibrant inexperienced coloration. September into October can also be a really good time to go to, in the course of the harvest season and when temperatures start to chill off. Throughout the summer season months, count on giant crowds and sizzling climate. We have now been to Montepulciano in July and September and had a greater total expertise in September.
Which is best, Montalcino or Montepulciano?
Montalcino and Montepulciano are comparable in that wine tasting is the #1 factor to do. Montalcino is smaller and fewer touristy, so if you wish to tour a city with fewer crowds, we advocate Montalcino. Montepulciano is a bigger city with an extended to do checklist. Each instances we had been right here, it was additionally extra crowded than Montalcino. We actually like each cities, however of the 2, Montalcino is our favourite.
How a lot time do you want in Montepulciano?
To discover the streets of Montepulciano, go wine tasting, do some buying, climb the clock tower for the view, and have lunch or dinner, plan on spending a few half day (roughly 4 hours) right here.
When you have any questions on one of the best issues to do in Montepulciano, tell us within the remark part under.
Extra Info for Your Journey to Italy
FLORENCE & TUSCANY: If that is your first go to to Florence, learn our information to the Greatest Issues to Do in Florence. If you’re planning a go to to Tuscany, learn to spend at some point in Siena, how one can go to Pienza, and one of the best issues to do in San Gimignano.
ASSISI: In our article Greatest Issues to Do in Assisi, we cowl the highest experiences to have, plus the place to eat and the place to remain. In our One Day in Assisi Itinerary, now we have an in depth strolling tour of the historic metropolis heart.
SAN MARINO: San Marino is a tiny nation positioned completely inside Italy. It’s attractive to discover and one of the crucial underrated locations to go to in Europe.
AMALFI COAST: Select which cities you wish to go to in our article about one of the best cities to go to on the Amalfi Coast. If you’re energetic and adventurous, among the finest issues to do on the Amalfi Coast is hike the Path of the Gods. We even have a 3-day Sorrento Itinerary and data on how one can go to the Blue Grotto in Capri.
VENICE ITINERARY: If you happen to want strategies on how one can plan your time, check out our One Day in Venice Itinerary and Two Days in Venice Itinerary.
PUGLIA: Alberobello is without doubt one of the hottest cities to go to in Puglia. Right here’s a listing of one of the best issues to do in Alberobello. We even have a information to one of the best issues to do on the Gargano Peninsula.
We have now TONS extra details about Italy in our Italy Journey Information, together with Rome, Florence, Venice, Tuscany, the Dolomites, the Amalfi Coast, the Cinque Terre, and Puglia.
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