Overview
The city of Brunello
The medieval village of Montalcino has a fairy-tale atmosphere. Nestled among the hills, olive groves and oak forests of the Val d’Orcia, it is the heart of the production of Brunello, the famous wine awarded DOCG classification in 1980. You can savour a glass after visiting the wine shop inside the 1361 Fortress dominating the historic centre. Its ramparts offer spectacular views of Mount Amiata and the Crete Senesi. In July, it hosts the renowned Jazz & Wine Festival.
The centre is enclosed by 4-kilometre-long walls built in 1100, with 6 gates and 13 towers, which you can walk along the patrol walkway. Don’t miss the tower of the Palazzo dei Priori, the Gothic loggia in Piazza del Popolo, the Bishop’s Palace with its frescoed halls and the churches of Sant’Egidio, San Francesco and Sant’Agostino. The latter is part of a large convent complex now home to the Civic and Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art, with works from the 12th to the 19th century.
The castle of Poggio alle Mura houses the Glass Museum. Near the centre stands the Abbey of Sant’Antimo, an Olivetan Benedictine monastery and a magnificent example of Tuscan Romanesque style.
