Italy 59 - another hilltop town - will we ever get fed up of them

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We pointed Suzy in the direction of yet another Tuscan hill town. This time Montalcino. Well what is it about Tuscan hill towns we love so much?. Montalcinos location is just west of Pienza, close to the Crete Senesi in the Val d'Orcia. The Etruscans were here before us and it had a church built in the 9th century. Its name derives from the oak trees that used to cover its hillside location. And what a stunning one with extensive views as far as the eye could see .

It's a long climb up to the parking sosta even for Suzy. There are loads of spaces for cars down the bottom of the town but for some daft reason the town prefer to make the motorhomers park high above on a dedicated large but empty site. There is water there on a bourne and it costs 1 euro 50 cents for the first hour of stay. After that first payment you keep feeding the machine until you put in as much as you want or need. It cost us about 3 euro for a couple of hours. . The walk down to the town was Ok although it was roasting hot. The walk back uphill not so inviting. It was hard slog.

As we walked down we could see the silvery green olive trees in the distance and the vines. The town itself was fairly empty just a sort of workaday Tuscan hill town. Locals sitting in cafes talking and a few tourists. It comprises of one main street and a few lanes which fan off the main street. Cafes and restaurants spilling into the street. There was a museum which we didn’t go in although it did look inviting. I could not find the price but it wasnt that expensive. Montalcino once must have been a busy place as it lies on the Via Francigena which we were to come across quite a few times in this part of the world.



It had the usual history of conflict between the Guelphs who supported the Pope and the Ghiberlines who supported the Holy Roman Emperor. It is surrounded by medieval walls built in the 13th century and also a fortress from 1361. It was possible to go in the fortress for nothing but to climb the walls was fairly expensive and not something we fancied doing on such a steaming hot day. There is a also a cafe/bar in the fortress.

The church was rebuilt and quite plain and even plainer inside. We just peeped through the doors. The scenery across the valley made it worth the visit and the problem of walking back up the hill again.

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Photos

Montalcino
Rather a nice toilet advertisement