Montepulciano (Tuscany)

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Montepulciano
coat of arms
Montepulciano (Italy)
Montepulciano
Country Italy
region Tuscany
province Siena  (SI)
Coordinates 43 ° 6 '  N , 11 ° 47'  E Coordinates: 43 ° 6 '0 "  N , 11 ° 47' 0"  E
height 605  m slm
surface 165.58 km²
Residents 13,691 (Dec. 31, 2019)
Population density 83 inhabitants / km²
Post Code 53045
prefix 0578
ISTAT number 052015
Popular name Poliziani
Patron saint San Giovanni Decollato
(August 29)
Website Montepulciano
Panorama of Montepulciano
Panorama of Montepulciano

Montepulciano is a small town with 13,691 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2019) in the Italian region of Tuscany and belongs to the province of Siena .

geography

Montepulciano is located approx. 45 km southeast of the provincial capital Siena and approx. 86 km southeast of the regional capital Florence between the Val di Chiana and the Val d'Orcia . The city's location and structure are picturesque. The city is located on the top of a 600 m high hill and is surrounded by a medieval city wall.

The districts include Abbadia, Acquaviva, Gracciano, Montepulciano Stazione, Sant'Albino and Valiano.

The neighboring municipalities are Castiglione del Lago ( PG ), Chianciano Terme , Chiusi , Cortona ( AR ), Pienza and Torrita di Siena .

history

Etruscan fragment (below) at the Palazzo Bucelli in Montepulciano
Montepulciano

The history of Montepulciano can be traced back to 715 BC. Traced back to the middle of the Etruscan period . The place was subject to the protection of Siena until 1202, then declared itself to be Florence and then changed rulers several times until it finally became Florentine at the beginning of the 16th century. In 1561 the city became a bishopric.

Montepulciano is the birthplace of the humanist and poet Angelo Ambrogini (1454–1494), who became known as Poliziano and, as tutor and friend of Lorenzo il Magnifico, helped shape the spirit of the Renaissance. Another son of the city is Cardinal Bellarmino (1542–1621).

During the Second World War , the German Wehrmacht had already ordered the destruction of the historic old town in retaliation for partisan attacks . This was prevented at the last minute by Count Origo and his wife, the writer Iris Origo ("Tuscan Diary"). Only the east gate "Porta al Prato" was blown up.

On June 7, 2016, representatives of the Partito Democratico from Montepulciano and Torrita di Siena, who have a clear majority in their communities, agreed to initiate a merger of the two communities. This was rejected in a referendum in November 2018.

Attractions

Madonna di San Biagio
Cathedral in Montepulciano

Most of the buildings in the old town date from the Renaissance period . The castle , the Palazzo Pubblico from the 14th century and the portal of the Church of Santa Maria (13th century) are older . There are a number of beautiful private houses , some of which were built by Antonio da Sangallo the Elder (1455–1534) and Baldassare Peruzzi (1481–1536), others by Vignola (1507–1573).

The Church of Madonna di San Biagio - probably Sangallo's masterpiece - was built between 1518 and 1537.
The Cathedral of Bartolomeo Ammanati (1570), modified by Ippolito Scalza, and completed in 1680 (with the exception of the facade, which is still unfinished) houses a large altar by Taddeo di Bartolo of Siena, and the fragments of an imposing monument dating from 1427– Built in 1436 by the Florentine architect Michelozzo in honor of Bartolomeo Aragazzi, Pope Martin V's secretary , it was demolished in the 18th century. The facade of the Church of Sant'Agostino is probably also Michelozzo's work.

Also worth seeing is the lavishly restored Museo comunale with the Crociani painting collection. Down in the Val di Chiana , at the Lago di Montepulciano, there is a natural history museum that recalls the centuries when the valley was a huge lake and swamp.

  • Piazza Grande with the cathedral and Palazzo Comunale

  • Pozzo dei Grifi e dei Leoni ( Griffin and Lion Fountain)

  • Palazzo Tarugi by Sangallo

  • The Church of Sant'Agostino

  • Torre di Pulcinella clock tower in Piazza Michelozzo

  • View from the city to the surrounding area

  • The Teatro Poliziano

  • View of the roofs

  • Landscape around Montepulciano

Regular events

tourism

In addition to wine connoisseurs, many music lovers also come to Montepulciano (see section Regular events ).

In recent years, Montepulciano has repeatedly been the setting for award-winning feature films such as " The English Patient ", " Heaven " or " A Midsummer Night's Dream " and " New Moon - Until (s) lunchtime " with Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart .

Viticulture

Soils, locations and climate of the area favor the viticulture, through which the place became famous. The red wine has a "noble" name: Vino Nobile di Montepulciano , whose name could be confused with the wine Montepulciano d'Abruzzo from the Marche and Abruzzo region . The winemakers of Montepulciano make the difference in the grape varieties, in the shelf life and in the quality and orientate themselves on the Tuscan neighbors from Montalcino . The simpler wine from Montepulciano is called "Rosso di Montepulciano".

Town twinning

Personalities

sons and daughters of the town

Web links

Commons : Montepulciano  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Statistiche demografiche ISTAT. Monthly population statistics of the Istituto Nazionale di Statistica , as of December 31 of 2019.
  2. ↑ La Nazione: Fusione dei comuni, i risultati dei referendum. Il sì prevale solo ad Asciano, no da Rapolano, Montepulciano e Torrita. Retrieved November 13, 2018 (Italian)