Top Tips: Montepulciano
Tuesday, February 9, 2010 at 02:51PM
La Bandita is a stylish country retreat in the heart of the Val d'Orcia in Tuscany. Owner John Voigtmann shares his top tips for nearby Montepulciano:
MONTEPULCIANO
The biggest and highest of the Southern Tuscany hilltowns, and home to the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.
RESTAURANTS
Acquacheta
Via del Teatro 22, +39 0578 758 443 (Closed Tuesdays)
Casual local favorite beloved for its steak (especially the thick Fiorentina, which you’ll see being prepared on a giant chopping block in the back). They only accept cash and only serve the meat rare.
La Grotta
Localita San Biagio, +39 0578 757 479, (Closed Wednesday)
Located directly in front of the towering San Biagio church at the very base of Montepulciano’s hill, it’s probably the most formal of the area’s restaurants. Some might feel it’s a little too formal, but many like its creative take on local classics.
Locanda San Francesco
Piazza San Francesco, 3, +39 0578 758 725
A 2 min walk down the Via Ricci from the main square is this guest house with a great wine bar located in a little piazza with a panoramic view. In addition to a long list of wines by the glass and bottle, they do big salads, and bruschettas (some of the pastas are hit or miss). Open late and 7 days a week.
SHOPPING
Maledetti Toscani, Via di Voltaia nel Corso, 40
High quality hand made leather goods: beautiful handbags, wallets and custom made shoes.
DON’T MISS
Piazza Grande
If your legs can carry you all the way to the top, you’ll be rewarded by this vast piazza with the beautiful unfinished façade of the Duomo.
Tempio di San Biagio
This iconic Renaissance masterpiece by San Gallo sits impossibly in the countryside at the base of town and is a symbol of both the Val D’Orcia and Renaissance precision and beauty. This circular plan was the original model for St. Peters in Rome.
Palazzo del Capitano
The Consortium of Vino Nobile producers have a showroom and tasting center in this grand palazzo on the Piazza Grande where you can sample wine from every single producer.
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