Tuscany is a land rich in history, naturalistic and architectural beauties and it’s really difficult not to see the beauty in every place you visit in this magnificent Italian region.

Today I’ll tell you about Montalcino, a small town in Tuscany with about 6,000 inhabitants located between the cities of Siena and Grosseto.

This Italian town that rises in the Province of Siena is a true pearl of beauty and, as often happens in Tuscany, its appearance makes it seem frozen in time. Its architecture, in fact, is very similar to the medieval one.

Montalcino is an ancient locality that was probably born around the Etruscan period, although the first news about this village dates back to the year 814 AD.
In ancient times this city was dedicated to the processing of leather, but over the centuries this village has evolved and now, thanks to the strategic position that it covers (Montalcino rises in an area where the cultivation of grapes is flourishing), its fame and the fulcrum of its economy is the production of wine.

Those who visit Montalcino, in fact, can’t taste the wines produced in this area.
The best-known names of these oenological productions are Brunello di Montalcino, Rosso di Montalcino, Sant’Antimo and Moscadello. These are all DOC (Controlled Designation of Origin) wines apart from Brunello which is a DOCG (Controlled and Guaranteed Designation of Origin) wine and, apart from Sant’Antimo which is divided into several types (white, red, new etc …) and Moscadello which is white, they are all red wines with a characteristic and very aromatic flavour.

There are no known recipes of typical dishes of this area, but as in all the restaurants in the area, you can taste the typical dishes of the Province of Siena, naturally accompanied by the aforementioned wines.

But Montalcino is also a city rich in art and culture. As mentioned earlier, this Tuscan town still has its typical architecture, which can still be seen in the houses, churches and public buildings, so it’s mandatory to visit these places when you go to Montalcino.

There are many places to visit but, among all, they must be visited its Rocca from 1300, the Palazzo Dei Priori, the churches of Sant’Agostino and Sant’Egidio, the Museo Civico e Diocesano di Arte Sacra (rich in paintings and sculptures with a religious theme) and the Museo del Vetro (which tells the story of this well-known material).

In addition to historic buildings and museums, however, Montalcino is also a place where annual events take place. There are many annual events that take place in this Tuscan town, but the ones we consider most interesting are the following:

  • Marcia Dell’Indipendenza (April 25);
  • Festa Patronale a Sant’Angelo Scalo con fiera e corsa dei ciuchi (1 May);
  • Festività in Onore di Maria Santissima Del Soccorso (7 and 8 May);
  • Jazz & Wine Festival (July)
  • Festival Internazionale di Montalcino (July);
  • Settimana del Miele di Montalcino (September).

As you can notice, although Montalcino is a small village, its beauty and cultural and historical richness amaze and fascinates.