When to visit Montepulciano? A guide for every season

The area of Montepulciano and the entire Val di Chiana is rich in beauty, so much that in any season there is no risk of being left without something to do. Thus, here’s our guide to discover Montepulciano for every season.

Montepulciano between wine and markets in the cold seasons

With the leaves tinted with yellow and red, autumn draws the ideal scenario for a visit to the vineyards of Montepulciano, such as those particularly characteristic (thanks to the amphitheater shape) of the Tenuta Tre Rose. A path that ends with a tasting of Rosso di Montepulciano or Vino Nobile and a view of the beautiful landscape.

The typical wines of Montepulciano, together with the products of Val di Chiana, are also included in another excellent occasion: Toscana gustando, which this year will be held on 9 and 10 November in the historic centre of the village, with the meeting between local products and those of the Valle D’Aosta.

Sunday, October 27, instead, the 3rd Giornata Nazionale della Camminata tra gli ulivi (National Day of Walking among the olive trees) will have visitors discovering, through a journey of about 5 kilometres, the production of extra virgin olive oil with the arrival at the Frantoio di Montepulciano and the guaranteed taste of Bruschetta.

In the proximity of Christmas holidays, then, Montepulciano comes alive with the Christmas Village. Skating rink, Santa Claus Castle and the market with 80 wooden houses where you can find decorations, crafts, but also local products packaged for a tasteful present.

Further, the wine returns as the absolute protagonist in February with the Anteprima del Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (wine preview) inside the Medici Fortress; a unique context to taste this world excellence.

The warm season in Montepulciano

Montepulciano offers a calendar of events throughout the year, but spring is notoriously the season in which this area is most popular, also because of the various trekking paths in Val di Chiana that can be undertaken. Indeed, along with the numerous historical and artistic wonders that characterize this hamlet, it is possible to start along different paths, including the pilgrims‘ road par excellence: the Via Francigena.

Among others, a few kilometers away from the centre, in the homonymous nature reserve, is the Lake of Montepulciano. Here the Canale Maestro della Chiana passes with the sentiero della Bonifica that connects Arezzo and Chiusi. The lake, together with that of Chiusi, represents the last trace of the marsh that characterized this territory, reclaimed between the 18th and 19th centuries thanks to the Medici and Lorena families. Here you can also take the Sentiero della Torretta which leads up to the sighting tower (which can be visited) that, with its 24 meters high, offers a unique view of the lake.

Lastly, unmissable in the summer, the historical events such as the famous Bravio delle Botti, the challenge between the eight districts of Montepulciano that takes place every year at the end of August, the Cantiere Internazionale dell’Arte, now at its forty-fourth edition, and the Calici di Stelle, for a night of Saint Laurence with the company of the excellent wines of Montepulciano.