Montalcino the Heart of Southern Tuscany @ History and Wine of Montalcino
Montalcino to many people is what they experience in the Tuscan wonderland. To some people, the Italian town is a charming place to take a nice and lovely vacation holiday. To some others especially people with an inclination towards art and historical values,
Montalcino is their number one choice as a medieval but culturally rich town where history can be seen and felt in modern day.
Montalcino boasts of many lodges, hotels and villas that belong to families in
Tuscany The regional town is part of
Tuscany and also that part of Italy that is famous for its fine apartments and farmhouses. Accommodation in
Montalcino is easy to book with a host of moderate to high class accommodation for every type of budget. There are minor villages in and around
Montalcino that are still being kept for their historical relevance as treasures to Italy’s tourism industry. These places also have large architectural edifices that are all over the landscape of the Tuscan town; as they are located in spacious fields of pine trees, chestnut woods, olive groves and similar types of vegetation. The hillsides have vineyards that produce good wine fruits of different varieties e.g. grapes and cherries. With a lot of things to do and many more vacation hideaways,
Montalcino is the next best stop to be in Italy.
Montalcino
Taking an all-inclusive travel package to
Montalcino is a good move for anyone who wishes to explore something new and somewhere different. There is simply no excuse not to enjoy what other people are having for peanut travel budgets; whether they are local dishes, drinks or other stuff, they cost next to nothing in
Montalcino Visitors and tourists to the town may wish to check out the green gardens situated within the town. They do testify to the fact that
Montalcino is a town that is appreciated for its numerous qualities both past and present. Some of the best species of flowers will be seen in their real form in the Tuscan vacation town. Montalcino’s climate is mild throughout the year. A side of the town is covered by hills which make it an ideal hideaway for adventures and appreciating nature. Its proximity to other natural features makes its location an ideal one. This shows that it enjoys good patronage by those with a knack for outdoor activities.
Montalcino has a rich asset of cultural treasures and antique shops that transcend the usual types. More prominent features of
Montalcino are mini resorts that contribute to the town’s place among places to visit in Italy.
Summer time is one of the best seasons of the year which allows for several types of activities.
Montalcino is a center of attraction in
Tuscany and has earned itself an enviable status in the country’s tourism books. Nice olive trees, cool gardens and alluring vineyards all combine to give it a befitting look of a choice destination for every vacationer.
Montalcino is linked with other towns in
Tuscany and makes it within easy reach of the other Tuscan destinations. Being in this town will make you look forward to another trip to
Tuscany There are ancient structures that adorn the skyline of
Montalcino with towers and hanging bells looking more of palatial fortresses than museums. Such medieval buildings make them very attractive to shutterbugs that come to
Tuscany for holidays or sightseeing. The town’s landscape has become an escape for tourists and vacationers from all over the world. It’s for no other reason but the fact that there are no dull moments in Montalcino; not with the loads of fun stuff lined up for all comers to the garden city.
Some of the places worth visiting in
Montalcino can be booked as a cheap and affordable all-inclusive vacation package from some of the popular travel agencies in Italy. Tour guides are always available to help with walking or biking tours. With them by your side, you will have a wider view of
Montalcino and knowledgeable stories of its interesting historical background. There are beautiful hang outs there, some of which can be snapped by cameras to create a perfect background picture for photographs. The multi-faceted nature of the town in terms of natural and artistic features makes it enough to give every visitor a lovely time out in
Montalcino It is characterized by historic traditions and natural features which add to make it a holiday maker’s delight any day. With a list of travel companies that are more than willing to give out varying low-cost offers for vacation trips to Italy, you can be sure that you will definitely find a customized travel package that suits your need. It’s all about exploring what
Montalcino has to offer. Then you will be surprised that the real trip to the exciting world of Italy’s hottest holiday spots is yet to begin.
Montalcino`s foremost activity is wine-producing, as is evident from the number of shops where you can both sample and buy the excellent local Brunello wines . The town, situated on the top of a hill, is of timeless character and the streets are narrow, winding and steep. The highest point is the 14th-century Fortezza and its impressive ramparts, built by Cosimo I in 1571. Spectacular views over the surrounding countruside are available from the walkway on the ramparts. There is an Enoteca ( wine shop ) in the grounds of the Fortezza, where the Brunello red wines are on sale. Inside the fortress there is an ancient Sienese battle standard, a reminder that the town gave refuge to a band of rebels after
Florence conquered
Siena in 1555. In remembrance of this, flag-bearers from the village of
Montalcino are given the honour of leading the parade before the Palio in
Siena every year. As you walk down into the town from the Fortezza, the monastery of Sant`Agostino and its 14th-century church, with an attractive rose window, are on the right. Just beyond is the Palazzo Vescovile, formerly the bishop`s palace. The Palazzo Comunale stands on the Piazza del Popolo. Constructed in the 13th and 14th centuries, its tall slim tower rises above the town. The Duomo, San Salvatore, was designed in 1818-32 by Agostino Fantastici, and replaced the original Romanesque church building.
Abbazia S.Antimo
The hill upon which the handsome, tightly gathered town of
Montalcino with its twisting alleys and small piazzas, sits has been settled probably since Etruscan times. Its first mention in historical documents in 814 AD suggests there was a church here in the 9th Century, most likely built by monks who were associated with the nearby Abbey of Sant`Antimo. The population grew suddenly in the middle of the 10th Century when people fleeing fleeing the nearby town of Roselle took up residence in the town. The town takes its name from a variety of oak tree that once covered the terrain. The very high site of the town offers stunning views over the Asso, Ombrone and Arbia valleys of
Tuscany dotted with silvery olive orchards, vineyards, fields and villages. The skirts of the
Montalcino hill itself are dominated by highly productive vines and olive orchards. During medieval times the city was known for its tanning "factories" and the shoes and other leather goods that were made from the high quality leathers that were produced their. As time went by, many medieval hill top towns, including
Montalcino went into serious economic decline. In the case of
Montalcino ill fortune has recently been reversed by international tourism, but also because Montelcino sits in the middle of one of Italy`s most important grape growing areas. The famed Brunello vines for which the region is famous produce the grapes which are used for the production of a number of DOC vintages and a couple of DOCG, Super Tuscans wines. Like many of the medieval towns of
Tuscany Montalcino experienced long periods of peace and often enjoyed a measure of prosperity. This peace and prosperity was, however, interrupted by a number of extremely violent episodes. During the late middle ages it was an independent comune with considerable importance owing to its location on the old Francigena Way, the main road between France and
Florence but increasingly
Montalcino came under the sway of the larger and more aggressive city of
Siena As a satellite of
Siena since the Battle of Monteaparti in 1260 AD,
Montalcino was deeply involved and affected by the conflicts in which
Siena became embroiled, particularly in those with city of
Florence in the 14th and 15th centuries, and like many other cities in central and northern Italy, the town was also caught up in the internecine wars and machinations between the Ghibellines (supporters of the Holy Roman Empire) and the Guelphs (supporters of the Papacy). Factions from each side controlled the town at various times in the late medieval period. Once
Siena - and with it
Montalcino - had been conquered by
Florence under the rule of the Medici family in 1555,
Montalcino held out for almost 4 years, but ultimately fell to the Florentines, under whose control it remained until the Duchy of
Florence was amalgamated into a united Italy in 1861.
Abbey of Sant`Antimo The tradition, enough reliable, wants that Charles Magno in 781, of return from Rome along the street Francigena, transited for the Amiata mountain with his court and his army. In many were struck by the plague and, to stop the scourge, the emperor made a vow and founded the abbey. Sant`Antimo is therefore an Ex imperial vote. According to other historians the foundation goes up again to the Longobardis as that of St. Savior on the Amiata. It is not even excluded that in the place a Roman villa existed and is known with certainty that in the IV-V century Castelnuovo of the abbot was an important lived center, endowed with a parish, then disappearance. However the monastery of Sant`Antimo existed in the year 814 as it testifies a diploma of Ludovico the Pious one that enriches the abbey of gifts and privileges.
Wine of Montalcino - Like an island in the heart of
Tuscany the hill of
Montalcino offers to those who ascend from the valleys surrounding it the feeling of a gradual conquest, the sense of arriving in a snug harbour. Perhaps, because of its geographical position, far from the crowded highways, or, perhaps, because of the purity of the air of a environment that is still intact and wild,
Montalcino provides a host of stimuli for the imaginations of those who visit it, involving them in that magical relation between man and nature that, here, has the rare quality of being absolutely spontaneous. The people of this town have always been devoted to the labours of wood and field. But they have also enjoyed moments of proud glory as during the struggle for communal liberty in the 16th century, when they long resisted the besieging armies of Spain and France. But certainly the best image of
Montalcino is revealed primarily by wine, the most precious gift of a land that is at the same time hard and generous. Already widely appreciated in past centuries, the oenological production had, even here, remained faithful to the canons of proven reliability of Tuscan tradition. It was only toward the end of last century that the first experiments where begun in order to improve and exalt the characteristics of a raw material and an environment no doubt quite special. Thus was born Brunello, as it is still created today, the fruit of a tenacious dedication, of loving watchfulness during the years of ageing in the winery before it is presented to a world that has learned, in its turn , to love it. It is the end and beginning of a legend that each bottle renews. More Informations on the Brunello di
Montalcino ...
Consorzio Brunello di Montalcino
