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Montalcino, view from the fortress
     
   

Montalcino
 
   
Montalcino is located to the west of Pienza, close to the Crete Senesi in Val d'Orcia. It is 42 km from Siena, 110 km from Florence and 150 km from Pisa. The Monte Amiata is located nearby.


History

Montalcino is named after the holm oaks that used to cover the hill it stands on and is located in the Val d'Orcia just over 40 km from Sienna.
Montalcino seems to have been founded in the first decades of the 10 C by refugees from the town of Roselle and has kept its urban structure almost since the time of its greatest expansion and brilliance, in the Middle Ages. Its stormy history together with defensive requirements have combined to give Montalcino its picturesque setting. From the avenues that skirt the walls, there are views that could be paintings by the masters of the Siennese Trecento. Empty spaces, squares, gardens and rows of olive-trees and vines relate in a kind of counterpoint with tightly-knit streets and major buildings.

The fortress, the churches, the steep lanes and stairways and alleys and the municipal palace, with its slender tower, take us back in time to distant fascinating periods.

The discovery of neolithic artefacts near the bed of the Ombrone river, in the vicinity of Badia Ardenga and of Etruscan and Roman tombs in various places around the town, prove the existence far back in history of a dense network of rural settlements. The foundations of some of the old churches which still exist to-day, such as Santa Restituta and Sesta, date back to the barbarian invasions. Towards the end of the 8 C the Abbey of Sant Antimo was founded, some say by Charlemagne.
The earliest settlements of Montalcino - the name first appears in a document of 814 A.D. - grew up under the feudal tutelage of the monks. They spread in the communal period, into a municipality, acquiring considerable importance, both political and military, owing to their strategic position on the old Francigena Way. As a result they were in conflict with Sienna from the end of the 12 C for over seventy years. During this period, sieges and wars alternated with moments of fragile peace and pacts were broken at the slightest provocation.
The battle of Montaperti (1260) gave the final victory to the Siennese, who planned to destroy Montalcino, but a few years later the situation changed once again; the Ghibellines were thrown out of Siena and the people of Montalcino signed a treaty of alliance with the Guelfs which guaranteed them substantial autonomy. In 1361, after an attempted rebellion the people of Montalcino were accorded Sienese citizenship. This was followed by a period of relative peace, during which their activities - pottery, tannery and leatherwork as well as the working of wool, wood and iron, flourished. The economic ties with Siena strengthened and, in 1404 they acquired from Siena the right to levy taxes and in the following years, a whole series of fiscal exemptions which favoured economic development. In 1462 Pius II granted Montalcino the status of city and a bishop's seat. Then once again war. In 1526 and in 1553 the town was besieged, but was able to resist thanks to the efforts of the population.

From 1555 to 31 July 1559, the last free Italian state, the Republic of Sienna, retired to Montalcino. The annexation to the Medici state did not provoke any great upheaval for Montalcino which maintained its importance as a productive and commercial centre. During the second half of the 17 C there were some 140 shop-owners and artisans, and the city's main activities were tanning and shoe-making.By the end of the following century, the reforms of Leopold and Napoleon eliminated a good number of mediaeval institutions. Economic conditions changed during the 19 C. Agriculture with a share-cropper system prevailed over other activities. At that time several of Montalcino's inhabitants took part in the events of the Risorgimento. At the end of the century, the first mutual aid societies for workers were set up. The First World War took a toll of 144 inhabitants. In 1920, the elections were won by the left but the following two decades were dominated by the fascist presence and by the war. The fifties were marked by an agricultural crisis which caused heavy emigration. Halfway through the sixties, there were the first signs of recovery with a few experiments in industrialisation, but it was in specialised agriculture with Brunello as the main product that Montalcino found its true vocation.
 
   
 
   
"Brunello di Montalcino" made its appearance in the middle of the 19 C, prepared by Clement Santi from a selection of Sangiovese Grosso grapes, the larger-berried clone of the Sangiovese variety. In Sienna in 1870, the first bottles of vintages 1863 and 1865 were exhibited as a superior ageing wine. Although the first great official vintage of Brunello di Montalcino dates back to 1888, until the mid-60s it was not well-known outside of its area of production. It began to be famous during the following ten years and became one of the most highly-rated Italian high quality wines. Over the years Brunello di Montalcino has gradually acquired greater fragrance, a more velvety flavour, a greater harmony and a delicately and intense bouquet. Today this dry wine is one of the best Italian reds. It's a strong, structured and tannic wine and it has got a very long life.
The Biondi-Santi family remained the only producer of Brunello until after World War II and the estate only released the wine on rare occasions in the greatest vintages. Between 1888 and 1945, only four vintage declarations qualified. As recently as 1960, less than a dozen estates bottled Brunello di Montalcino but today there are 220 growers and over 150 bottlers (up from 100 in the late 1980s). The Consorzio of Brunello producers, incorporating virtually all of the winemaking estates, was established in 1967, just after Italian authorities declared Brunello one of the country's first DOC classified wines in 1966. This group plays a vital role in helping establish and administer production codes (by a decree passed in 2001, it actually controls production protocols for the zone down to the most basic details) as well as leading in the marketing and promotion of Brunello abroad. Unlike the consorzio in the neighboring Chianti Classico region, the group in Montalcino enjoys almost unanimous participation among the region's producers and has been quite effective in helping develop Brunello's reputation as a unique "brand."
The "second wine" of the zone is Rosso di Montalcino and this generally sells for a modest price considering its high quality. One of the DOCG regulations which is strictly enforced entails "de-classification" of at least 30% of the production each vintage from Brunello, with its longer aging requirements, to earlier maturing Rosso, which is a DOC that must age for only a year prior to release. Because of the mandatory "de-classification", Rossos from a great house are often spectacular in a great vintage, and they can be extremely good in lesser years (when the house makes little if any Brunello, and uses its best grapes for Rosso production).

Tuscany | Brunello di Montalcino

Tuscany is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Known for its enchanting landscapes, its fantastic and genuine food and beautiful towns as Florence, Pisa, Lucca and Siena.
Podere Santa Pia is an enchanting Tuscan farmhouse, nestled in the vineyards and olive groves of the rolling Maremma hills. This privileged location offers a spectacular vista over the charming medieval town of Cinigiano and the entire Ombrone Valley. It is the perfect place for your relaxing holiday with your friends and family. The property consists of 4 large bedrooms furnished in a classic Tuscan style and 2 bathroom with shower, a big full-equipment kitchen with a fireplace and a big living room and dining room. With its original kitchen and the wood burning pizza oven, Podere Santa Pia offers an upbeat atmosphere. The farmhouse has been renovated and provided with all modern comforts (satellite TV, Wi-Fi Internet access, washing machine, dishwasher, and so on), with an eye to preserve the typical and charming elements of these rural lodgings. There you have, then, cosy and warm rooms with traditional terracotta-tiled floors, stone walls and wood-beamed ceilings. And the kitchen, furnished for pleasant meals with traditional Tuscan dishes (bread soup or "ribollita", tomato soup, "fettunta", Florentine-style steak, stewed wild boar, cinta senese cured meat, and other Tuscan specialities).
The impressive garden (9000 square mt.) allows you to enjoy a relaxing holiday and is perfect for taking time out and lounging about while sipping on a glass of local wines, Montecucco DOC and Brunello DOC.
Sitting in the garden, one can enjoy our dawns and dusks, with their jubilee of colours ranging from dark yellow to pink, orange and red. In this scenario, it is often possible to observe the flight of pheasants, falcons and buzzards, great tits, chaffinches and sparrows.
This is an enchanting place far from noise, ideal to regenerate body and mind, where one has the opportunity enjoy pleasant walks or rides on mountain bike. The summer breeze that caresses Podere Santa Pia guarantees "cool" holidays even in the hottest weather.

Tuscan farmhouses | Podere Santa Pia
 
         

Monte Oliveto Maggiore abbey

Abbey of Sant 'Antimo

Piccolomini garden
         


Banfi, Castello di Poggio alle Mura,
view from Podere Santa Pia
 
Horti Leonini in San Quirico d'Orcia
  Castel Porrona, a charming medieval village dating back to the 11th century, between Cinigiano and Castiglioncello Bandini and Podere Santa Pia
         

The Sagra del Tordo (feast of the Thrush) festival takes place on the last weekend of October with drums, trumpets, costume parade etc on Saturday, followed by a day-long feast in Montalcino castle on Sunday. This feast of the thrush is open to the public and a good range of food, including roast thrushes needless to say, plus the excellent local wines are available. During the morning, there is another costume parade, and celebratory lunches are held in the four quartieri of Montalcino - Pianello, Travaglio, Ruga and Borghetto. Similar feasts are held in the evening. A limited number of visitors can book for these feasts - ask your host if you are staying in town. The main parade takes place in the afternoon, leading to the archery field, and is followed by the longbow tournament in which two archers from each quartiere compete. Tickets are required for the competition which a major annual event for the citizens of Montalcino. Unusually for Tuscany, the competition is for long bowmen although there are plenty of crossbows in evidence during the parades. Bus loads of tourists, mainly Italian, arrive on Sunday so if you plan to participate, arrive early or face a long uphill walk from where you park. Don't miss it - la Sagra del Tordo is not only about thrushes!

Horti Leonini in San Quirico d'Orcia | On the northern edge of Val d'Orcia, San Quirico d'Orcia has grown up on the site of the medieval village of Osenna. In 1256 it became part of Siena's territory, and today it still appears to us with its original medieval street plan. Located in a strategic position along the Via Cassia (and the old Via Francigena), San Quirico d'Orcia was often the residence of imperial bailiffs. In its town centre, encircled by fortified walls, a stop should be made at the Collegiata dei Santi Quirico e Giulitta with its magnificent Romanesque-Gothic doorways as well as at the Misericordia and Santa Maria di Vitaleta churches, at the Palazzo Pretorio (town hall) and at Palazzo Chigi.
The Horti Leonini gardens are a splendid example of giardini all'italiana: they were designed in about 1540 by Diomede Leoni and periodically host temporary exhibits of contemporary sculpture.

The Piccolomini garden in Pienza was commissioned by Pope Pius II (Enea Silvio Piccolomini) from Bernardo Rossellino and in the second half of the 15 C together with the papal palace, of which it is an integral part. The small terraced area dominates the entire Val d'Orcia and despite recent alterations still displays the typical features of the Renaissance garden. The small hanging garden that occupies the space on the south side of the building, is surrounded on three sides by high ivy-covered walls, while on the side facing the palace it is bordered by a loggia with three tiers of arches. A special drainage system prevents rainwater from seeping into the vaulted spaces below, in which the stables were located. The rectangular flower-beds, surrounded by double, pruned box hedges, line two gravel paths that run at right angles to each other. A fountain stands at the point where these meet, and the four corners of each flower-bed have umbrella-shaped laurel trees. The various rectangular flower-beds along the boundary walls are decorated with fruit trees and flowering shrubs. A large octagonal well adorned with the crescent, keys and tiara of the Piccolomini coat of arms, and a fountain decorated with garlands of fruit are the garden's two sculptural elements - they both date back to the late 15 C. The panoramic view over Val d'Orcia, which can be admired from the three arches in the rear wall, is of primary importance in the design of this garden where architecture and nature come beautifully together.