Montepulciano is, as the name suggests, on top of a hill. Way on top of a hill. In fact, a classic medieval hill town with some serious ups and downs. Prepare your calves, darlings. It has a rich history. Was originally founded by the Etruscans in ca. 300 BC and sits elegantly though somewhat plunked between the Valdichian and the Val d'Orcia. Rich soil, rock, and lots of heat made this the place for the Vino Nobile, the superstar of the area and what many come to Montepulciano for.
This weekend is an Italian holiday being that 2 June was yesterday and that date marks the Festa della Republica. It was June 2, 1946, that Italians voted to abolish the monarchy and become a republic. And if you remember, Italy became a country (unifying the peninsula and Sicily into a nation-state) in 1861, but still retained a king. After Mussolini and the war they were like, 'what the hell?'
It was Etruscan then it was Roman, and then in the 4th century it became Christian, largely due to the charisma of San Donato (obviously when he still had his head on) of Arezzo. Then history shows us that EVERYONE wanted a piece of the Vino Nobile action because there were countless wars with provinces vying for the city. Then, the Medici strong-armed their way in in the 16th century.
A walk around the city this morning:
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