Welcome to Montepulciano, a charming hill town filled to the brim with great food and wine, wonderful architecture, beautiful art, and best of all…fabulous people. This town in lower Tuscany offers a little bit of everything a visitor could want. Montepulciano is presided over by their famous clock tower which features a clown, from Naples of all places. The Pulcinella is a reminder left by a Neapolitan bishop who was banished to Montepulciano for being a philanderer. (I can think of worse places to get banished to.)
But there’s so much more to Montepulciano than the cute clock tower. This town contains several churches and palaces containing some great art. There are eye-catching side streets to stroll down (or up). This, like many hill towns I constantly forewarn clients about, is quite vertical. It is very easy to work off one’s lunch or dinner. You really have no choice but to do so….which is why eating and drinking here is so great!
There are wonderful views from Montepulciano since it is one of the higher towns in the area.
There are many artisanal craftspeople in Montepulciano. You will find all kinds of artisans, from wrought iron forgers to mosaic makers hard at work, not to mention ceramic artists. There is a wealth of shopping to partake in from the aforementioned artists as well as all sorts of wine, food and olive oil products. (I had a wonderful visit with the mosaic man….I’ll be writing about him in a future blog.)
And last but not least….there is….wine. Ah! Take a sip of the local Rosso di Montepulciano and Vino Nobile and you will be hooked. There are many underground caves which would suffice for a wine tour, but I found one with especially nice people, an especially nice tour, and especially nice wine that I will be taking future clients to. I can't wait to return!
This attempt at a panorama was taken from a great place to have lunch outside of the town with a fantastic view looking back to Montepulciano and the surrounding countryside.
Montepulciano, a window on Tuscany. Come join the fun! Book now for tours departing 2014. Drop me a line at [email protected]. Let’s discuss your future in Tuscany.
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