Montalcino

It's easy to see why the Etruscans settled Montalcino: The town is perched on a gently sloping hill, now dotted with olive groves and vineyards, which would have been easy to defend, and high enough to offer some respite from the heat that blankets Southern Tuscany during the summer. In 814 it was given to the Abbey of Sant'Antimo by Ludwig the Pious. It later became a free commune; following the Florentine defeat at Monteaperti in 1260 it allied itself with Siena, and was the last holdout of the Sienese after Siena itself fell to the Florentines in 1555.

The easiest way to reach the town is to take the Cassia (S.S. 2) south from Siena, past Buonconvento, and then turn right. The road winds up the hill, and you can park directly under the Rocca that the Sienese withdrew to. Begun in 1361 by Mino Foresi and improved upon steadily until the time of the siege, it is an excellent example of early Renaissance military architecture; the ground floor now houses a wine cellar, while one of the halls above has the Sienese Republic's battle standard. The view from the walls is beautiful on a clear day.

Walk down the hill to reach Piazza del Popolo, the main square, with its odd but pretty town hall. The Caffè Fiaschetteria, on the right-hand side of the piazza, has good coffee and wonderful turn-of-the-century decor. If you walk down Costa del Municipio, you will find, on a wall to the left, several plaques commemorating Brunello, and, a little further down, the church of Sant'Egidio, which has an interesting combination of Gothic and Romanesque elements. Via Panfilo dell'Oca leads back up the hill; in Via Ricasoli there is the museum of the Diocese, with a number of early Renaissance paintings including a Madonna with Child and saints by Ambrogio Lorenzetti. Via Ricasoli also has Sant'Agostino, which has beautiful marble work around the door, an impressive rosette, and nice 14th century frescoes of the life of Saint Augustine. Via Spagni leads up to the cathedral, which was thoroughly rebuilt in the 1820s by Agostino Panorama; the view from the square is beautiful. So is the view of Siena from Porta al Corniolo, down the hill behind the church of the Madonna del Soccorso. The church conceals some exquisite Baroque altarpieces behind its modern façade. To the right of the square is Viale Roma, a tree-lined street overlooking the countryside that leads to Piazza Cavour, the small park in front of the Museo Civico and the archaeological museum.

At this point you will have seen much of Montalcino, and it will likely be time for lunch; we suggest the Trattoria Sciame (Via Albergheria, 3) or the Osteria Porta al Cassero (Viale della Libertá 9, under the Rocca). In the afternoon you should visit the Abbey of Sant'Antimo, which is about ten minutes from Montalcino. Founded by Charlemagne at the end of the 7th century, it rapidly grew in power and importance, until the abbot was one of the major feudal lords of the region, and only declined after he entered into conflict with Siena; it is now used by a lay brotherhood and open to the public. The brothers are fortunate; the building, made of white stone that takes on a golden hue when the light is right, is one of the most spectacular Romanesque churches in Tuscany, and has fascinating decorative elements, including a capital showing David in the Lion's Den, attributed to the Master from Canterbury. The sense of peace you will feel in the nave is almost overpowering. Once you've finished exploring the abbey (note, for reference, that two CAI hiking trails depart from the road to the right), you can visit Castelnuovo dell'Abate, a pretty mediaeval town perched on the hill above.

No visit to Montalcino would be complete without the purchase of a couple of bottles of Brunello, one of the world's great red wines. Two wineries we especially like are Maurizio Lambardi's Canalicchio di Sotto, to the right as you approach Montalcino from Buonconvento, about three km from the town, and Elisabeth and Piero Palmucci's Fattoria Poggio Di Sotto, which overlooks Sant'Antimo. It is (relatively speaking) easy to make a good wine in a great year, but these wines shine in off years too.