The 7 Best Experiences in the Beautiful Town of Montalcino Italy
Montalcino is a lovely hill town in Tuscany.
Of course, just about every town in Tuscany — well, in all of Italy for that matter — is beautiful.
But Montalcino is rather special for a couple of reasons.
Number one is that it is located in the UNESCO Val d’Orcia which happens to be my favorite piece of Tuscany.
The second reason is that it really hasn’t changed much in 500 years.
The last reason this town is noteworthy is that one of the best wines in the world — Brunello di Montalcino — is produced in the valleys surrounding it.
As usual let’s start with where this amazing Tuscan town is located.
Where is Montalcino Italy?
As I mentioned above, Montalcino is in the Val d’Orcia of Tuscany.
It’s about 45km due south of Siena and 23km west of Pienza, another hill town in Val d’Orcia.
The location is really gorgeous with hills and valleys covered in grapevines and olive trees.
Okay.
Now we know where it is.
So let’s find out about some of the best experiences in Montalcino.
The 7 best experiences in Montalcino Italy
Wine tasting in the Fortezza
Montalcino has a really cool fortress, called a fortezza in Italian.
It’s pretty hard to miss.
And inside is the Enoteca La Fortezza — a spot for wine tasting, a wine shop and even a place for special events.
It was built back in 1361 and had an epic defense against the Florentine troops (Montalcino was part of the Sienese Republic) in 1555.
But then it lost its importance as a military fortress and became a place for events for the town.
In the 1940’s it was restored and now serves as a major tourist site and a place for cultural events.
There are also some spectacular views from the ramparts.
The fortezza is a marvelous place to have a wine tasting with your travel buddies, tasting some of the incredible Brunello wines — as well as Rosso di Montalcino or Super Tuscans — while having a platter of some tasty local food to make that wine taste even better.
Italian wine is always better with food — especially Italian food!
Yes, it’s a tad bit cheesy to be in this old fortress, but it is a unique and fun experience.
I did this on my first visit to Montalcino with friends and we had a wonderful time.
So I highly recommend it.
Wine tasting in one of the shops
One of the best experiences in Montalcino is to visit one of the wine shops where you can taste a lot of different wines from the different vineyards in the area.
Yes.
You can actually visit the individual wineries/vineyards.
And I do recommend this if you want to see how the wine is made and really get into the vines.
See the bottom of the post for a few ideas.
But if you want to taste a variety of wines, then popping into a place such as Enoteca di Piazza is an excellent idea.
It’s here that you can taste one (or 2 or 3 or 4) of the 100 wines they have.
This is a wonderful way to get to know what kind of Italian wine you like.
And they do carry wines not just from the area, but all over Italy.
It’s a fun way to spend some time in Montalcino.
Visit the churches
Surprise!
There are a few churches in this town of 5900.
Okay.
Not a surprise.
This is Italy so you can count on at least a few churches in a small town.
The 5 in the center of town are Chiesa di Sant’Agostino, Cattedrale del Santissimo Salvatore (the main one), Parrocchia di Sant’Egidio Abate, Chiesa del Corpus Domani and Chiesa di San Pietro.
There is one more toward the outer edge of town called Chiesa della Madonna del Soccorso.
Yup.
That’s 6 churches in one small town.
Anyway…
I always say that visiting a couple of churches in any Italian town is a good idea as it gives you a sense of the culture — the art, the architecture, the role religion plays in daily life.
So one of the best experiences in Montalcino is perusing one or 2 of the churches.
Choose a couple to visit, perhaps choosing a larger one, then a very small one.
You’ll find that the itty bitty ones are a surprise.
For instance Parrocchia di Sant’Egidio Abate is quite small, rather rustic and simple yet somehow really beautiful in a natural, modest way.
I also visited Cattedrale del Santissimo Salvatore, Cathedral of the Holy Savior.
For a cathedral-type of church, it wasn’t overly ornate.
But it had a more polished look to it with marble columns and a slightly more gilded altar.
Don’t miss the churches of Montalcino!
Wander the streets with a gelato and take in the views
Montalcino is a wonderful town to simply wander about, maybe with a gelato in your hand.
I find once you get away from the center of town, the streets are more peaceful and you see where the locals live.
Tuck down a quiet street and you may also be rewarded with a gorgeous view of the Val d’Orcia.
Do hit those outer edges of town as that’s where you’ll get some amazing views.
And who knows what else you might stumble upon — a little bar or enoteca or an interesting building.
Remember: Get a little lost and let the magic happen.
This is one of the best experiences in Montalcino.
PS Don’t forget the gelato!
Have a drink, a cuppa or a bite to eat at Caffè Fiaschetteria Italiana 1888
This might be a tad bit touristy but this caffé is an historical landmark.
So I’m going to recommend at least having a drink here.
I had a cappuccino on my first visit to Montalcino and it is a cool spot.
It was raining so we sat inside which I found to have an old world feel to it — like maybe a coffee house in Vienna.
But if the weather is good, then sit outside so you can people watch.
There are better places to have a good meal, but it’s worth it to at least have a glass of wine or an espresso.
Have a meal at Taverna del Grappolo Blu
I have eaten here twice.
Full disclosure: it has been quite a few years.
But on the first trip to Montalcino, I ate here with my friends and we all had lovely dinners.
On my second trip I ate a late lunch and once again had a delicious meal with very good service.
So I think having a meal, perhaps after a bit of wine tasting, at Taverna del Grappolo Blu is one the best experiences in Montalcino.
And after, you can have your wander about town with that gelato.
That is if you still have room in your tummy!
Visit the nearby Sant’Antimo Abbey
Just 10km away in the valley — and amongst the vineyards and olive trees — is the beautiful, not-to-be-missed Sant’Antimo Abbey.
This abbey has an incredible and mixed history.
The story goes that the abbey was founded in the 9th century by Emperor Charlemagne who was the leader of the Holy Roman Empire.
It’s said he was the founder of a chapel, called the Carolingian Chapel which seems to be where the current Sant’Antimo is.
In 814 Louis the Pious, successor of Charlemagne, issued a diploma that enriched the religious place with goods and privileges.
So we know it existed in some form in 814.
That’s loooonnnnggg time ago!
Around 1200 it lost some of its importance — and all those assets such as the Fortezza — due to the city of Siena and its expansion.
Siena basically came in and took over.
So the abbey was then turned over to Guglielmiti, a reformed Benedictine order.
For the next 400 years Sant’Antimo isn’t exactly cared for as the Benedictine order loses it and so on.
It’s quite typical for these religious buildings to go back and forth and then often to be neglected over centuries.
In 1870 architect Giuseppe Partini began bringing the church back to its present appearance.
Today the Community of Sant’Antimo is made up of three diocesan priests and some lay people, with established ministries.
I fell in love with this abbey.
The simple stone work, the intricate carvings in the stone and the lack of anything ornate.
*Sigh*
It’s one of my favorite religious buildings in all of Italy.
Spending some time at Sant’Antimo is one the best experiences in Montalcino.
Note the opening hours of the abbey and when masses are.
Other things to do in the area and some final thoughts on Montalcino
While this town is definitely about the wine, the delicious Brunello di Montalcino, you don’t have to be a wine lover to visit.
Non-wine drinkers will still enjoy the Fortezza, the churches, the streets, the food and the views.
So do go even if you aren’t into wine.
If you are into wine, then Montalcino is a must because tasting some of the amazing wines is one of the best experiences in Montalcino.
Here are a few other things to do in and around Montalcino including some good wineries to visit:
Fortezza Etrusca di Poggio Civitella — Etruscan site just 2km from Montalcino
Pienza — another lovely Tuscan hill town
San Quirico d’Orcia — an under visited Tuscan town worthy of time
Vineyards to visit:
Casanova di Neri
Il Palazzone
Soldera
Please note that Wander Your Way does not recommend travel at this time due to the current global health situation with the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, many destinations and attractions found on this website will not be operating although some places have opened.
Please stay up to date using official sources like the WHO and CDC. I do plan to continue to write about incredible destinations and to offer tips on travel to Europe, so that you will find some solace in these posts — so you dream about travel and learn about travel. This way when we can all travel again, you’ll be ready to go! For now, stay home (or close to home) and stay safe!
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. This means I will earn a commission – at no extra cost to you — if you click on the link and purchase anything from these trusted companies. It helps Wander Your Way, a small business, stay in business. Thanks for your support!
Like it? Pin it!
hi can you share with me which route you take to see the view at this picture https://wanderyourway.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Italy-330.jpg
I believe this was taken from the town of Montalcino itself.
I recently wrote a blog on Montalcino too. Love that town!! The views, the vineyards, the enotecas, the Abby, the food…all of it. We fell in love with Brunello on that trip and still order a couple of cases from there every few years. I love how the smell of the wine permeates the air as one walks through the narrow cobbled-stone streets.
Oh, I love the smell of wine…and yes, Montalcino is an easy town to fall in love with.
This looks like the ideal place for me to visit! I hadn’t heard of it before reading your post but it’s definitely going on my list now!
I’m betting you’d enjoy Montalcino very much!
Montalcino looks like an amazing town. I spend so much time on the cost, it’s time to come visit here!
I think there are amazing places in the interior of Italy.
I live in northern Italy and haven’t even been able to go to Tuscany yet because of COVID restrictions 🙁 saving this for reference for when I finally can go!
Here’s hoping things ease up so you can visit Montalcino.
These are beautiful suggestions. I love how the cathedrals are so big, beautiful, and different.
It’s always interesting to visit a few different churches in the same Italian town as they are typically different.
Montalcino looks absolutely charming! Have just added it onto our list. The Fortress looks incredible, as does the cute (and tasty sounding) Taverna del Grappolo Blu!
Montalcino is definitely charming!