What is Montalcino known for?

Sangiovese Grosso wine that received DOCG status in 1980, grown on galestro soils between 200 and 600 meters around the town. After Florence took Siena in 1555, Montalcino held out for almost four years as capital of the Republic of Siena in exile. Romanesque abbey ten kilometers south, documented from 814, tied by local tradition to a vow by Charlemagne.

Montalcino is a comune in the province of Siena, Tuscany region of Italy, about 103 kilometers from Perugia.

Tuscany · Siena

Montalcino

A walled hill town at 564 meters above the Val d'Orcia, the last fortress to hold out for the Sienese Republic and the birthplace of Brunello.

564m

Elevation

103 km / 64 mi

Nearest hub (Perugia)

5,611

Population

Apr–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Montalcino sits at 564 meters on a hill south of Siena, the centro storico ringed by walls and crowned by a pentagonal fortress built in 1361. When Florence took Siena in 1555, the Sienese exiles regrouped here and held out for almost four years; the Rocca itself never fell. That date matters less to most visitors than 1980, when Brunello di Montalcino was named one of the first four Italian wines to receive DOCG status. The vineyards run from the town at 600 meters down to plots at 200, on stony galestro soils that ripen Sangiovese Grosso into a wine that ages for decades. The Abbey of Sant'Antimo, ten kilometers south, is a Romanesque church first documented in 814 and tied by local legend to a vow by Charlemagne. The town also produces miele, olio, and the white truffles of the surrounding woods. It carries seven institutional signals at once, more than any other commune in this batch.

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Gallery

7 photos · scroll →

Known for

Rocca di Montalcino
Pentagonal fortress built in 1361 by Sienese architects Mino Foresi and Domenico di Feo, refuge of the Sienese Republic after 1555.
Abbazia di Sant'Antimo
Romanesque abbey ten kilometers south, first documented in 814, set among olive groves below the town with Gregorian chant still sung.
Palazzo dei Priori
Thirteenth-century town hall on Piazza del Popolo, slender tower attached, civic seat of the medieval commune.
Duomo di San Salvatore
Neoclassical cathedral rebuilt in the 1820s on the site of an earlier Romanesque church, the parish seat of the centro storico.
Museo Civico e Diocesano
Civic and diocesan museum in the former monastery of Sant'Agostino, holding works by Bartolo di Fredi and Sano di Pietro.

Signature product

Brunello di Montalcino DOCGDOCG

100% Sangiovese, aged five years, the wine that put Montalcino on the world map.

See every town in our catalogue producing Brunello di Montalcino DOCG.

When to visit

Best months · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

April through June and September into October are the months locals prefer. The hills are green or gold depending on the half, and the vineyards run their full work cycle. The Sagra del Tordo, a medieval archery contest between the four quarters of the town, takes place the last Sunday of October. July and August push temperatures into the mid thirties; the centro storico thins between two and six in the afternoon, and the Brunello cellars run cool tastings to compensate. November through March is quiet. Sant'Antimo in winter fog, the bell tower rising out of the olive groves, is the photograph most photographers come back for.