Discover Montepulciano

Montepulciano is a long ridge town of 13,984 people at 605 metres — the highest and the largest of the Tuscan hill towns in this group — and it is built as a single climb. You park at the bottom and you walk up, and the walk is the town.

At the top is Piazza Grande, which is the finest square in southern Tuscany and an argument between centuries. The Palazzo Comunale was designed by Michelozzo; Palazzo Tarugi is attributed to either Antonio da Sangallo the Elder or Vignola; and the Duomo went up between 1594 and 1680 and never got its façade — it is still raw brick, which is the most memorable thing about the square.

Below the walls, standing alone in a field, is the building architects come for: the Madonna di San Biagio, designed by Antonio da Sangallo the Elder and built between 1518 and 1545. A Greek-cross church in pale travertine on an open platform, with nothing around it. It is one of the most complete High Renaissance designs anywhere.

And then the wine, where a word causes trouble. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a red from this town, made mainly from Sangiovese — minimum 70% — and a DOCG since the 1980 vintage. It is not made from the Montepulciano grape, which is a different variety grown mostly in Abruzzo. Two unrelated wines share one name, and most people who buy the wrong one never find out.

Is Vino Nobile di Montepulciano made from the Montepulciano grape?

No, and this is the most useful thing on this page. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a red from this Tuscan town made from Sangiovese, minimum 70%, with up to 30% complementary red varieties. The grape variety called Montepulciano is something else entirely, grown mostly in Abruzzo, and makes Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. One word, two unrelated wines.

What are the Vino Nobile rules?

Sangiovese minimum 70%; at least two years' maturation from the 1 January following the harvest, with 24, 18 or 12 months in wood depending on the option taken; and a Riserva needing grapes of at least 12.50% natural alcohol and at least three years, including six months in bottle. DOCG since the 1980 vintage. Rosso di Montepulciano is the same grapes released from 1 March of the year after production — much cheaper and very good.

How hard is the walk?

Harder than you expect, and the hardest of the five towns in this group. The whole town is a sustained climb on stone from the gate to Piazza Grande at 605 metres, with no level route. In July and August do it before 09:00 or after 18:00, or take one of the local shuttle buses up and walk down. If someone in your party cannot manage a hill, Pienza is level.

What is the unfinished cathedral about?

The Duomo was built between 1594 and 1680 and its façade was never clad in stone — it is still structural brick, on the grandest square in southern Tuscany. The money ran out after 1559, when Florence took Siena and Montepulciano stopped being a strategically useful frontier town, and it never came back.

Why is San Biagio important?

Because of where it stands. Antonio da Sangallo the Elder designed and built it between 1518 and 1545 as a Greek-cross church in pale travertine, and it sits free-standing in open fields below the walls. Centrally planned churches were the great theoretical ambition of High Renaissance architecture and were almost always built hemmed into cities; San Biagio got the open setting the design required. Drive the five minutes down, walk all the way round the outside, and go in the late afternoon.

Why does a small Tuscan town have a Michelozzo town hall?

Because from 1390 Montepulciano was Florence's ally and then possession, in country otherwise dominated by Siena. Florence sent its architects, and the Palazzo Comunale on Piazza Grande deliberately echoes the Palazzo Vecchio. It is a political statement in stone.

When is the Bravio delle Botti?

The last Sunday of August, and it has run on that day since the 14th century: the town's contrade racing heavy barrels uphill to Piazza Grande. Genuinely old, genuinely brutal, not a show for visitors — and the town is completely full. Book months ahead or come another week.

Can I taste wine without driving?

Yes, and it is the practical advantage this town has over Montalcino. Several historic cellars are cut into the rock beneath the palaces on the main street and are open to visitors, so you can do a serious tasting and walk back to your hotel.