Montalcino is a medieval village that dominates the Aso, Ombrone and Arbia valleys from the top of a hill, the home of the famous Brunello wine and a renowned Tuscan holiday resort. This town full of history and tradition appeared for the first time in a text in the year 814 AD when Louis the Pious son of Charlemagne decided to give the whole territory to Apollinare as a fief. Montalcino historically also represented a bulwark of resistance for the ancient republic of Siena as the town is the only one that fought the rise of the Florentines until the final capitulation of 1559. The fulcrum of Montalcino is Piazza del Popolo, the beating heart of the ancient area. At the corner between the square and via Matteotti rises a majestic Palazzo dei Priori a Sienese manufacturing building surrounded by marble coats of arms depicting the various podestàs. The Civic and Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art located in the former convent dedicated to St. Augustine is also interesting to visit in the center of Montalcino. Visiting this exhibition you can admire works of inestimable value painted by great artists such as Sano di Pietro, Simone Martini, Girolamo di Benvenuto while among wooden statues dating back to the 15th century there is the bronze crucifix by Giambologna. The symbolic figure of Montalcino is the Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior: a magnificent nineteenth-century structure in the neoclassical style built around the year 1000 and elevated to a cathedral in 1462 by Pius II. Montalcino is a land of great popular traditions that are still celebrated today through recurring festivals. The Sagra del Tordo is a perfect example of this, the event that takes place every year in October celebrates the art of hunting through an archery tournament in which the various districts compete. During the summer, however, the Montalcino International Festival is held, a series of concerts held in the churches, castles and squares of the town. In the month of July, however, the notes become more sought after with the Jazz Wine, a review in which famous names of the Italian music scene take part. Montalcino: along the wine route When Montalcino is mentioned, the first thing that comes to mind is Brunello: a nectar of the gods with a ruby ​​red color loved and appreciated throughout Italy and beyond. This wine comes from a particular quality of Sangiovese grape grown right around the vineyards that surround the village. Brunello was “created” in the mid-nineteenth century following the choice of the writer and winemaker Clemente Santi to diversify the wine production of the area, which focused mainly on a sweet white wine called Moscatello di Montalcino. His experiments gave life to a “brown” wine with a dark red almost brown color, hence the name of the wine. It was on the occasion of the Agricultural Exhibition of Montepulciano which was held in the distant 1869 that this drink “a selected red wine of 1865” was officially awarded. For many, this date represents the birth of the oenological symbol par excellence of this locality that stands out from other wines, always made with Sangiovese vines by virtue of its particular predisposition to long life and ageing.