Medieval Village · Crete Senesi · Hidden Gem
Montisi
A medieval village with a tower, an art collection, and no tour buses
Montisi sits on a ridge in the Crete Senesi southeast of Siena, a medieval village of considerable quiet charm. Its main street runs along the ridgeline and is flanked by stone houses of varying ages, a church, a small castle tower, and at one end, a granary building that has been converted into an unlikely and excellent contemporary art space. The village belongs to the municipality of Montalcino and looks south toward the Val d'Orcia. It is not on any of the main tourist itineraries, which is one of the best things about it: on a weekday morning you can walk the length of the village without meeting another visitor, and the local bar will be occupied by farmers and retirees having their coffee in the way it has been for decades.
La Torre
The Castle Tower and Its View
The medieval tower at the northern end of Montisi is one of the most intact defensive towers in the smaller villages of the Crete Senesi. Its form is simple — a square stone tower, slightly battered at the base — but its presence is considerable, particularly in the late afternoon when the setting sun catches the honey-coloured stone. The tower is not regularly open to visitors, but the view from the base is already worth the walk: north across the Crete Senesi hills toward Siena, south toward the Val d'Orcia, with the profile of the Apennines on the far horizon.
Contemporary Art
The Granary Gallery — An Unexpected Cultural Space
One of the pleasures of Montisi is the Grancia — a former medieval granary at the southern end of the village that has been converted into a cultural space hosting contemporary art exhibitions and events. The building is significant: a large stone barn with a vaulted interior, used for centuries to store grain collected from the surrounding agricultural estates. Its conversion into a space for contemporary art represents an interesting model for rural cultural investment. Exhibitions change seasonally; check the Grancia website for current programming. Even when no exhibition is running, the building itself is worth seeking out.
Practical Information
- Location
- Montisi, Montalcino (SI), Crete Senesi
- GPS
- 43.1100° N, 11.6200° E (approximate)
- From Pienza
- 18 km north (22 min by car)
- From Siena
- 38 km southeast
- La Grancia
- Contemporary art space — check website for current exhibitions
- Services
- Bar and restaurant in the village; free parking on the main road
Gallery
