Montalcino Report

The Val d'Orcia UNESCO Heritage Site

Herewith the plaque that commemorates the Val d'Orcia, where we grow and make our wines, as a UNESCO heritage site.

The plaque finds itself in the village of San Quirico d'Orcia, which is about a 30 minutes drive from our winery. 

Herewith the Collegiate Church of San Quirico:

Herewith the text on the Val d'Orcia (the Orcia River Valley) from the site of the UNESCO:

Justification for Inscription

Criterion (iv): The Val d’Orcia is an exceptional reflection of the way the landscape was re-written in Renaissance times to reflect the ideals of good governance and to create an aesthetically pleasing pictures.

Criterion (vi): The landscape of the Val d’Orcia was celebrated by painters from the Siennese School, which flourished during the Renaissance. Images of the Val d’Orcia, and particularly depictions of landscapes where people are depicted as living in harmony with nature, have come to be seen as icons of the Renaissance and have profoundly influenced the development of landscape thinking.

Click here to read the entire voice of the site of the UNESCO.

Hilltop towns of the Val d'Orcia V: San Quirico d'Orcia

Many peoples do not know of San Quirico d'Orcia when they come to the lands of Montalcino and Sant'Angelo in Colle for the wine and food tourism. It has only 2.500 residents, more or less, but is a nice town for the shopping and also "la spesa" the food shopping. You will find many boutiques and clothes shops there. Also there is a good "barbiere" for cutting the hair and trimming the beard.

You will find many families and children there and the village is very lively for the feast and festival days. There are many beautiful things to see there like the collegiate church (in the photo atop) and many other medieval "palazzi". 

Herewith the Wikipaedia informations: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Quirico_d'Orcia

There is also the website of the village, written in the English, with many useful informations on events and items to visit: http://www.san-quirico.com/

 

 

Hilltop towns of the Val d'Orcia IV: Abbey of Sant'Antimo (Castelnuovo dell'Abate)

From the Wikipaedia: 

St. Antimo Abbey (Abbazia di Sant'Antimo) is a Benedictine monastery situated in the province of Siena, near Montalcino, Tuscany, central Italy. A tributary of the river Orcia, the Starcia, runs near the abbey.

Its name refers to Saint Anthimus of Rome, whose relics were moved here during the late 8th century. A Bollandist historian of the 17th century speculated that Pope Hadrian I gave the relics of Saints Sebastian and Anthimus to Charlemagne, who then donated them to the abbey when it was founded. But this theory has not yet been verified.

The origins of the abbey date to a small oratory built here, one the location of a former Roman villa, in 352 at the death of Anthimus. In 715 it was cared by the diocese of Chiusi.

In 770 the Lombards commissioned the construction of a Benedictine monastery, which had also to act as a hotel for the pilgrims directed to Rome. In 781, in his trip back from Rome, Charlemagne, gave his imprint to the construction, though the version according to which he was the founder of the abbey is most likely a legend. In 814 a document by Louis the Pious made it an imperial abbey. Later the abbot received the title of Palatine Count. At his apex, the abbey possessed 96 castles, terrains and other lands, as well as 85 monasteries, churches and hospitals. Their most important possession was the castle of Montalcino, which was the abbot's residence.

In 1118, after the donation of Bernardo degli Ardengheschi's heritage, the construction of the new church was started, inspired to the new abbey of Cluny and the church of Vignory.

In the mid-12th century, halted in its expansion northwards by Florence, Siena moved its attention to Montalcino. In 1145 the monks were forced to cease the castle of Radicofani the Sienese. In 1189 Pope Clement III placed the pieve of Montalcino under the bishop of Siena. Filippo Malavolti, podestà of Siena, attacked and partly destroyed Montalcino in 1200. An agreement of 1212 stated that the abbey had to hand over a quarter of its territories to Siena, including Montalcino.

In 1291 Pope Nicholas IV ordered the union of the abbey with the Guglielmites, a reformed branch of the Benictines, in order to give back strength to the abbey. However, after another period of decay in the 15th century, Pope Pius II annexed St. Anthimus to the new diocese of Montalcino-Pienza (1462), whose bishop was Pius' nephew. The abbey decayed at the point that in the 19th century it was used as stable. In 1870s the Italian state restored it.

(The photos are the property of Montalcino Report.)

Hilltop towns of the Val d'Orcia III: Bagno Vignoni "bath of the vines"

Herewith a photo of the main "piazza" in the village Bagno Vignoni. Not a "piazza" at all but a ancient Roman swimming pool fed by the hot springs of the Val d'Orcia. 

Herewith the entry from Wikipaedia on this magical village of the Val d'Orcia:

The ancient village of Bagno Vignoni is located in the heart of Tuscany, in the Val d'Orcia Natural Park. Thanks to the Via Francigena (which was the main route followed by pilgrims in antiquity who went to Rome), these thermal waters were found and have been used since Roman times. At the heart of the village is the "Square of sources", namely a rectangular tank, of 16th-century origin, which contains the original source of water that comes from the underground aquifer of volcanic origins. Since the Etruscans and Romans - as evidenced by the numerous archaeological finds - the spa of Bagno Vignoni was attended by eminent personalities such as Pope Pius II, Santa Caterina da Siena, Lorenzo the Magnificent and many other artists who had elected the village as main holiday resort. Characteristic of Bagno Vignoni, besides the thermal waters, are its structure, despite numerous incidents of war, devastation and fires that involved the Val d'Orcia in the Middle Ages, remains essentially unchanged since then. From Bagno Vignoni, you can easily reach the historical centers of nearby Pienza and Montalcino, and the general Val d'Orcia area, including the Park of Mount Amiata.

Bagno Vignoni is also the location where parts of Andrei Tarkovsky's 1983 film Nostalghia were shot.

Also very useful is the informations on the site www.turismo.intoscana.it.

Hilltop towns of the Val d'Orcia II: Monticchiello

Monticchiello is a Tuscan hilltop town that time has forgotten. Many persons left the village during the Italy's period of industrialization when so many farmers traveled to the large urban centers to find work in the factories. 

Today, Monticchiello preserves the ambiance of the Tuscan hilltop towns of the Val d'Orcia from the period between the two wars.

Monticchiello is also the home to one of the most rich traditions of "teatro povero", the "poor theater", a very old heritage of the Tuscany countryside. Herewith is the link to the village theater:

http://www.teatropovero.it/

When you travel to visit the village of Monticchiello, it is best to go on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon and walk around this beautiful place and experience the life of another era, when things were slower and there was no internet for making the blog! 

Herewith is the map for to arrive at Monticchiello, which is about 50 minutes driving from the farmhouse of Tenuta Il Poggione, where you can stay to make visit to the many hilltop villages of our region.

Herewith is also the website of the village, with references to many places to eat and to visit:

http://www.monticchiello.org/

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Hilltop towns of the Val d'Orcia I: Pienza

The present post is the first in a series of portraits of the many hilltop towns to visit in our beautiful and beloved Val d'Orcia, a UNESCO designated zone where Brunello di Montalcino is grown, vinified, and raised. This first post is dedicated to the town of Pienza.

Pienza is a most beautiful town and is known for its early Renaissance architecture. Herewith are informations from the Wikipaedia:

Pienza was rebuilt from a village called Corsignano, which was the birthplace (1405) of Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini (Italian: Enea Silvio Piccolomini), a Renaissance humanist born into an exiled Sienese family, who later became Pope Pius II. Once he became Pope, Piccolomini had the entire village rebuilt as an ideal Renaissance town. Intended as a retreat from Rome, it represents the first application of humanist urban planning concepts, creating an impetus for planning that was adopted in other Italian towns and cities and eventually spread to other European centers.

The rebuilding was done by Florentine architect Bernardo Gambarelli (known as Bernardo Rossellino) who may have worked with the humanist and architect Leon Battista Alberti, though there are no documents to prove it for sure. Alberti was in the employ of the Papal Curia at the time and served as an advisor to Pius. Construction started about 1459. Pope Pius II consecrated the Duomo on August 29, 1462, during his long summer visit. He included a detailed description of the structures in his Commentaries, written during the last two years of his life.

And when you go to visit Pienza, you must be sure to visit also the famous "salumeria" that is called Nannetti e Bernardini. The "porchetta" the roast suckling pig of Nannetti is one of the best. And there are many other food shops to try. 

Also the famous "pecorino di Pienza" cheese of the sheep milk. 

Also the eels and the sausages! 

Pienza township has a very good website with many informations on where to lodge. 

http://www.pienza.info/

Next we will speak about Montichiello. 

50th annual Barbarossa festival and Madonna di Vitaleta festival begin this weekend in San Quirico d'Orica

The 50th annual Barbarossa festival and the 10th annual Madonna di Vitaleta festival (Download MANIFESTO MADONNA E BARBAROSSA 2010) begin this weekend in San Quirico d'Orcia, about 30 minutes by car from our village of Sant'Angelo in Colle.

The beautiful festival of Barbarossa celebrates the history of Frederick 1 Barbarossa (Red Beard) Holy Roman Emperor and includes pageants, processions, "alfieri" the "flag bearers", and "re-enactments".

The festival of the Madonna of Vitaleta commemorates the famous statue of the Madonna by artist of the Renaissance Andrea della Robbia which is preserved in the "cappella" of Vitaleta above.

On Saturday 28 August the statue will be transferred to the Chiesa della Collegiata in San Quirico d'Orcia and public music will be performed in the piazza.

  

 

Biologic market in Montalcino this Sunday

If you happen to be in Montalcino on this Sunday, please visit the "Organic Market" mercatino that highlights biologic and organic foods and products of the Val d'Orcia. The market is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. today in the Piazza del Popolo in the centre of Montalcino. 

You can see a calendar for the itinerary for the "mercantini" here. Throughout the year, the markets are held in different villages.

The Organic Market features all kinds of the wonderful agriculture products of the Orcia river valley or the "Val d'Orcia". It is a great way to experience the foods of our lands and we highly recommend it.

St. Anthimus's Abbey (Abbazia di Sant'Antimo)

One of the most beautiful and most famous sites in the Val d'Orcia is St. Anthimus's Abbey, Abbazia di Sant'Antimo in Italian, a Benedictine monastery that dates back to the Middle Ages.

(Here's the link to the abbey's official site: http://www.antimo.it/.)
 


To visit the abbey is to return back in time. If you consult the official schedule of the abbey, you can visit during the services in which the friars still use ancient Gregorian chants in Latin. It is one of the most inspiring experiences of any sojourn in the Val d'Orcia.
 


This detail above from the abbey reveals its Romanic origins. 

Sant'Antimo also gives its name to the Sant'Antimo DOC, which is Montalcino's appellation for blends that include international grape varieties. Here's the Italian Trade Commission link for information: http://www.italianmade.com/wines/DOC10272.cfm.

Best restaurant in Montalcino? Many say Al Giardino di Giovanniluca e Paola

 

This season in Montalcino, everyone is talking about the Ristorante Al Giardino of Giovanniluca and Paola, who have taken this kitchen about two years ago from the previous owners.

Mr. Aldo Fiordelli, who is from Florence and who writes for the Espresso restaurant Guide as well as Vanity Fair and other important mastheads, has said on his blog that "this is the best restaurant in the cradle of the Brunello at the moment".

You will see many famous winemakers Al Giardino Ristorante and the wine list comprehends also wines from Orcia appellations and a few from Montecucco. Herewith is the website of the Giardino and here is the Facebook. 

Herewith is the Google map:


Visualizzazione ingrandita della mappa