This beautiful village on a hill at the end of Val d'Orcia, is famous worldwide for its famous wine, Brunello, and its fame is well deserved, see to believe! But Montalcino is much more and its story deserves to be told: the hill where Montalcino was founded is named from the latin “mount of oaks”, trees that still today characterize the landscape and stand out in his arms. The area was already inhabited by the Etruscans who built a fortress on a nearby hill. The first time Montalcino has been mentioned in history, was for a fight: in 715 b.C. the king of the Lombards Liutprando interfered in a dispute between the Bishop of Siena and the Bishop of Arezzo, not about a high theological discussion....but about the possession of some lands that both claimed. The hill of Montalcino was given a hundred years later by the Emperor Ludovico il Pio to the Abbey of St. Antimo, founded (according to legend) by Carlomagno, but it already exists in the Lombard period. The building we can see today is a jewel of Romanesque architecture made of onyx and alabaster in the 12th century by architects arrived from France. On the hill, property of this abbey, in the 10th century, was built the village of Montalcino, which would expand during the Middleage to become a separate municipality which owed its prosperity to the position close to Via Francigena, and being in the orbit of the most powerful Siena; infact was involved in the wars between Siena and Firenze, whose most famous episode was the Battle of Montaperti in 1260 b.C., even mentioned by Dante in his Divina Commedia. Then, Montalcino followed the internal fights between Guelfi (supporters of Pope) and Ghibellini (supporters of the Emperor). In 1555 b.C., after the fall of Siena, the village hosted some noble familes that leaved their home town and proclaimed the Republic of Siena in Montalcino for 5 years, hoping to retake the city. But the history went in another direction...and Montalcino became part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and later of the Kingdom of Italy. The walls surrounding the medieval buildings were built in the 13th century and the fortress that dominates the hill, are witness of its tumultuous past and create an inviting atmosphere to enjoy the view and a glass of good wine! Discover Montalcino thanks to our tour!