On the afternoon of  May 27th, our last full day in Tuscany we headed to see Montalcino, another hill town which is famous for its Brunello di Montalcino wine. 

20130527_2013_may_italy_0017 One of our stops on the way.

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Jed hard at work.

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We found another poppy field to photograph and Gretchen was happy to model.  

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20130527_2013_may_italy_0023 Always nice to have great models. 

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This photo was taken just outside of Montalchino where we stopped for a view of the town.  

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The town of Montalcino gets its name from a variety of oak tree that once covered the terrain.  The population  of the town is approximately 5,300.   During medieval times the city was known for its tanneries and for the shoes and other leather goods that were made from the high quality leathers that were produced there.   As time when on,  Montalcino like many other medieval hill towns went into serious economic decline.  

20130527_2013_may_italy_0028 The lower slopes of he Montalcino hills  are dominated by vines and olive orchards.  Gradual economic decline has recently been reversed by economic growth due to the famous Brunello di Montalcino wine produced from the Sangiovese Grosso grapes grown here.  The number of producers have grown from 11 in the 1960's to over 200 today, producing 330,000 cases of wine annually.  Brunello was the first wine to be awarded Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantila (DOCG) status.  In order to achieve this status, the product has to be produced within the specified region using defined methods and satisfying a defined quality standard.    Other Super Tuscan wines are also produced here as well as the Moscadello sweet white wines.  

20130527_2013_may_italy_0030 The little kids were enjoying their treats.

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20130527_2013_may_italy_0032 And the big kids were enjoying their treats.  We found the best pizza shop where we all got delicious slices of pizza to go.     Front row was Gretchen, Sam and Chris.  Back row was Fred (standing), Megan, Beth and Brenda.  Jed must have been off somewhere taking pictures (or maybe going for a  second slice of pizza).  

20130527_2013_may_italy_0037 The gelatos were just too good to pass up.

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20130527_2013_may_italy_0033 The oldest part of the town is located along the main street, the via Matteotti which widens to form the Piazza del Popolo, the medieval centre of the town.  At the point where Via Matteotti enters the piazza is the "Palazzo dei Priori" now the town hall built in the 13th and 14th century and above it soars a tall clock tower.  I read somewhere that the town has scarcely changed its appearance since the 16th century which seems to be true of many of these hill towns.  

20130527_2013_may_italy_0034 The main streets were full of shops and cafes.  

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We spent a couple of hours wandering the streets to get a feel for the town.

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20130527_2013_may_italy_0044 Climbing up to a high point in town I saw a stunning view of the Asso, Ombrone and Arbia valleys of Tuscany.  The countryside is dotted with olive orchards, vineyards, fields and villages.  

20130527_2013_may_italy_0047 Walking along this street it was easy to imagine that not much had changed  over the centuries.  

20130527_2013_may_italy_0039  Unfortunately I didn't get a shot of both of the dogs faces.

20130527_2013_may_italy_0046 Fred, Megan and I walked all around the town although I'm sure there were a few streets we missed!

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 20130527_2013_may_italy_0001 Eventually the group met up and we had fun taking  a group shot.   

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Chris enjoying his ice-cream.  

20130527_2013_may_italy_0050 Chris enjoying his nap.   Caught once again!

20130527_2013_may_italy_0051 Not much of a nap though-can't get away with anything with a group of photographers around.

20130527_2013_may_italy_0053 This little dog was watching me very closely.

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20130527_2013_may_italy_0054 We  left the town and headed to the Abbey of Sant'Antimo.  This is a former Benedictine monastery  about ten kilometres outside of Montalcino.  The earliest document relating to the abbey is a land grant of Louis the Pious dated December 813.  The construction of the present church was begun before 1118.  This was the period of the greatest power of the abbey which had authority over 38 churches and control of about 1000 farm estates throughout Tuscany.   An agreement of 1212 stated that the abbey had to hand over a quarter of its territories to Siena, including Montalcino.  

20130527_2013_may_italy_0055 A view from the grounds.  

20130527_2013_may_italy_0056 In 1291, Pope Nicholas VI ordered the union of the abbey with the Guglielmites, a reformed branch of the Benictines in order to give back some power to the abbey.    After another period of decay in the 15th century, Pope Pius II annexed St. Anthimus to the new diocese of Montalcino-Pienza (1462) whose bishop was Pius' nephew.  However the abbey continued to decay to the point that in the 19th century is was used as a stable.  In the 1870's the Italian state restored it.  In 1992 the abbey became again an active monastery with the arrival of a new religious community of Canons Regular of the Order of Premontre.  

20130527_2013_may_italy_0058 Once last view from the area.