Montalcino

This small town (567m, pop 5030) is situated on a hill covered with olive groves and the famous Brunello vineyards dominating the Asso, Ombrone and Arbia valley.

Already inhabited in Etruscan and Roman times, Montalcino was a possession of the abbey of Sant'Antimo, then it became a commune and, after the battle of Monteaperti(1260) it entered the Sienese sphere of influence. In 1361 the Sienese built the fortress, which, after the town was conquered by the Florentines in 1555, held out until 1559.

Surrounded by walls, the oldest part of Montalcino is located along the main street, the via Matteotti, which widens to form the Piazza del Popolo, the medieval centre of the town. At the point where Via Matteotti enters the piazza stands the "Palazzo dei Priori" now the town hall, built in the 13th and 14th centuries.

Adorned with the coats of arms of the podestà, the facade of this fine example of Sienese architecture has two rows of windows; above it soars a tall tower. Also facing the piazza is a large "loggia" comprising six round arches; built in the 14th and 15th centuries, it has been considerably restored.

On the highest part of the hill is the fortress; an outstanding example of military architecture, it was built on a a pentagonal plan in 1361 on a design by Mino Foresi and Domenico di Feo.

An important collection of Sienese paintings is to be found in the "Museo Civico e diocesano d'arte sacra, (sacred arts)" housed in the former seminary next to the 14th century "church of Sant' Agostino". Offering an almost complete overview of the artistic output of this Tuscan town, the collection includes a "Virgin and Child" by Simoni Martini, and "St Peter and St Paul" by Ambrogio Lorenzetti.