Other sights in Tuscany
-
Abbazia di San Galgano
About 20km southwest of Siena on the SS73 is the 13th-century Abbazia di San Galgano, in its day one of the country’s finest Gothic buildings.
reviewed
-
A
Museo dell’Opera Metropolitana
This museum, also known as Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, is in what would have been the southern aisle of the nave of the Nuovo Duomo.
Inside, formerly adorning the cathedral, are the 12 statues of prophets and philosophers by Giovanni Pisano that decorated the facade. The highlight is Duccio di Buoninsegna’s striking early 14th-century Maestà, which is painted on both sides as a screen for the cathedral’s high altar. The front and back have now been separated and the panels depicting the story of the Passion hang opposite the Maestà. Other artists represented are Ambrogio Lorenzetti, Simone Martini and Taddeo di Bartolo, and there’s also a rich collection of tapestries…
reviewed
-
B
Basilica di Santa Maria dei Servi
The 13th-century Basilica di Santa Maria dei Servi has frescoes by Pietro Lorenzetti in a chapel off the north transept.
reviewed
-
C
Grotta del Buontalenti
Watch a fleshy Venere (Venus) by Giambologna rise from the waves in the Grotta del Buontalenti.
reviewed
-
D
Chiesa di Sant'Agostino
Continuing up Via di Gracciano nel Corso, you will find Michelozzo’s Chiesa di Sant’Agostino.
reviewed
-
E
Palazzo de' Mozzi
reviewed
-
F
Palazzo Comunale
Overlooking Piazza Grande, which is Montepulciano’s highest point, is the Palazzo Comunale. Built in the 13th-century Gothic style and remodelled in the 15th century by Michelozzo, it still functions as the town hall. On a clear day, you can see as far as the Monti Sibillini to the east and the Gran Sasso to the southeast from the top of its tower.
reviewed
-
Museo Villa Puccini
reviewed
-
Museo Casa Natale di Puccini
reviewed
-
Advertisement
-
G
Museo Archeologico
About 200m southeast of the piazza is this museum, whose rich collection of finds, including most of the Medici hoard of antiquities, plunges you deep into the past and offers an alternative to Renaissance splendour.
reviewed
-
H
Mercato Nuovo
reviewed
-
-
I
Loggia dei Lanzi
What makes this gorgeous square so agreeable is, in part, its wealth of fountains and statues, climaxing with this 14th-century loggia where works such as Giambologna's Rape of the Sabine Women , Benvenuto Cellini's bronze Perseus (1554) (c 1583) and Agnolo Gaddi's Seven Virtues (1384–89) are displayed. The loggia owes its name to the Lanzichenecchi (Swiss bodyguards) of Cosimo I, who were stationed here, and the present-day guards live up to this heritage, sternly monitoring crowd behaviour and promptly banishing anyone carrying food or drink.
reviewed
-
Fattoria Le Capezzine
reviewed
-
J
Cripta
Next to the Baptistry (and accessed through it) is this space below the cathedral's pulpit. It was rediscovered and restored in 1999 after having been filled to the roof with debris in the 1300s. The walls are completely covered with pintura a secco ('dry painting', better known as 'mural painting', as opposed to frescoes, which are painted on wet plaster, making them more durable) dating back to the 1200s. There's some 180 sq metres' worth, depicting several biblical stories, including the Passion of Jesus and the Crucifixion.
reviewed
-
Civic Archaeological Museum
reviewed
-
K
Chiesa di San Nicola
reviewed
-
L
Chiesa di San Michele in Borgo
reviewed
-
Chiesa di San Michele degli Scalzi
reviewed
Advertisement
-
Cappella di Monte Siepi
reviewed
-
Villa Reale
reviewed
-
Villa Oliva
reviewed
-
Villa Grabau
reviewed
-
M
Cantine Contucci
Opposite to Palazzo Comunale is the Palazzo Contucci and its extensive wine cellar, Cantine Contucci, which is open for visiting and sampling.
reviewed