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Motepulciano (Tuscany)
Montepulciano is famous for Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, a blend of a Sangiovese clone specific to the area and other grapes such as Canaiolo. The surrounding countryside is covered in vines and there are numerous wine shops (enoteca) in the centre where you can taste the wines.
Even without the draw of Vino Nobile, Montepulciano is a lovely hilltown, visible for miles around on a clear day. The town’s grand palazzi are mainly a result of the town’s allegiance with Florence rather than nearby Siena. The noble families of the town employed the Florentine architects Sangallo the Elder and Sangallo the Younger to build their houses.
For a full day’s sightseeing you can combine Montepulciano with a visit to nearby Pienza and the Val d’Orcia or continue on to Montalcino (famous for Brunello wines) for more wine tasting!
Things to see
Piazza Grande, Duomo and Palazzo Comunale
The main square is also the site for the Duomo and the Palazzo Comunale. The Duomo has an unfinished facade (it’s surprising how many towns never got around to buying the marble to finish off their Duomos) and several works of art inside. It’s worth climbing the tower incorporated into the Palazzo Comunale for the incedible views across the Tuscan countryside. Several wineries have set up shop in other palazzi around the main square and offer free tastings (degustazione) in the hope that you’ll buy a bottle or two.
San Biagio
Just outside the town walls you’ll find the fine Renaissance church of San Biagio. Renaissance churches were an attempt to get closer to God by use of geometry and perfectly proportioned ratios in their design. One of the free-standing towers at the front of the church was never completed.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Pienza was the home town of Pope Pius II, the Pope started to turn the village into the ideal Renaissance town. The Cathedral, Papal Palace and main square were completed but once he died, the project was abandoned. The town is also famous for pecorino cheese made from sheep’s milk. The sheep graze on the limestone pastures of the surrounding countryside, known as the Crete.
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