Montalcino Travel Guide

Introduction

42km (25 miles) S of Siena; 112km (67 miles) S of Florence; 190km (118 miles) NW of Rome

Montalcino presents a mighty image on the approach from the valley -- a walled town set very high on a tall hill with the spires of medieval buildings sprouting from the middle and a glowering fortress at one end. Up close, the town becomes a much smaller, meeker place, but the precipitous medieval alleyways and stone buildings make it a day-trip delight, and the views of the valleys from which you just ascended are magnificent from this height.

Paleolithic tribes and the Etruscans set up camp here, but it wasn't until the Roman era that a permanent settlement formed. By the Middle Ages, Montalcino was a bustling town and a defensive center for the surrounding farming community. Although it divided itself into four minuscule neighborhood contrade after the Sienese model, Montalcino was initially allied to Florence and at odds with its northerly neighbor Siena. After several skirmishes,...