The effort that forges the territory
There is a place in the heart of Tuscany where the scent of must mixes with that of bread made from ancient wheat, where your view gets lost among the boundless vineyards and slivery olive groves, sewn together by forests of holly oak and beech that conceal the stories of bygone centuries. A land shaped by the sweat and effort of entire generations, soft and welcoming like its hills.
Capital of the Chianti
With 60 million bottles of wine produced every year (one for every Italian!), Montespertoli is considered the Capital of the Chianti. Here, wine is in every home, it’s a way of life. It is the first, resolute bond between man and this land. Wine is also a celebration and it is celebrated every year between the months of May and June with the traditional Mostra del Chianti in Montespertoli, an 8-day event that attracts thousands of visitors.
Land of noble dwellings
From the Poppiano Castle, the historical home of the Guicciardini family, to the castle in Montegufoni, where the Acciaoli lived, to the Sonnino Castle in its village near the capital, there are many examples of Medieval and Renaissance architecture. But the symbol of Montespertoli is without a doubt the Palazzo degli Orologi, from 1600, that stands tall in the splendid Piazza Machiavelli, the historical heart of the village. The first housing settlement in Montespertoli was established by the hamlet Lucardo, in the Lombardic era, and the Church of San Piero in Mercato, built around the year 1000. One of the oldest in the whole of the Valdelsa, it represented the religious, social, and economic life of the community throughout the Middle Ages.
A landscape to taste
In Montespertoli, taking a stroll is sweet and the landscape wins you over with its vineyards and olive groves, with tree-lined roads and the small rural streets that cross through the wheat fields. Far from the city, time slows down here, though it never stops. So you can enjoy splendid itineraries, like via di Castiglioni, a true open-air museum. A history narrated by long-ago tastes, that today are celebrated with the Bread and Wine Festival (Festa di pane e olio) and the Threshing Festival (Festa della battitura).
….between music and sacred art
The soft and winding outline of the hills almost seem to recall an ensemble of bows. It is perhaps for this that in Montespertoli music has a great tradition and is one of the elements that nourishes the life of the community is nourished. The town is enlivened by two music schools that have as a reference one of the greatest tenors in history: Amedeo Bassi. A museum in the historical city center is dedicated to him, home to a collection of the tenor’s personal effects. The Church of San Piero in Mercato holds treasures as well: paintings, sculptures, furniture and jewellery coming from our churches and held in the adjacent Museum of Sacred Art. A true Renaissance masterpiece is the small panel painting depicting the Madonna and Child, a later work of the celebrated Filippo Lippi.