Montespertoli, town of the Chianti wine

The Municipality of Montespertoli is located in the Chianti area, on the hills which are characteristic of the centre of Tuscany. Montespertoli is about 15,5 miles (25 km) far from Florence and about equidistant on San Gimignano, Sienna, Pisa and Volterra. This makes Montespertoli and its countryside an useful and convenient departure point to visit most of Tuscany.

The climate is exposed to winds and it is cold in summer and mild in winter. The continuous and open ventilation makes the air pure in every season. Montespertoli, with its vineyards, the cellars and the Chianti wine Fair (every year at the end of May-beginning of June), is one of the main cities of the Tuscany wine.

From the historical point-of-view the wine, together with the extra-virgin olive oil and the bread, is one of the characteristic elements of the region.

The Montespertoli area has an important sport centre in "Molino del Ponte" village, equipped with football pitch, tennis court, 5-people football pitch, clay pigeon shooting, indoor sports arena and swimming pool.

The area of the present Municipality of Montespertoli has been important since the Etruscan era because of its road system that allowed Florence to trade with Volterra and Sienna by using the "via Volterrana" road that crossed the region of Montespertoli from North to South and was connected to the "via Francigena" road near Certaldo. During Middle Age the most representative and important buildings in this area were built: the churches, the castles and the villages located on the top of hills and connected each other by a road network.

In the North, near Montegufoni, the castle of the Ormanni family was located, and it was destroyed in the year 1135 by Florence. After the destruction of the castle, the lands of this site were acquired by the Acciaioli family, which afterwards became one of the most important families in Florence. They rebuilt the castle and built its tower following the architecture of the tower of "Palazzo della Signoria" in Florence.

The castle just outside of Montespertoli town, today owned by the Sonnino family, was originally owned by the "Lords of Montespertoli", a branch of the Alberti Counts from Mangona. When this family was estinguished in 1393, their whole properties gone to the Machiavelli family.

The Castle in Poppiano was originally a very large Middle Age building with three rings of walls and it was built around the year 1000 as fortress to defend Florence. It has been owned by the Guicciardini family since then. In such a large time period it has undergone different events connected to the history of Florence. Indeed the Guicciardini family has been one of the most important families in the history of Florence since 1200. The most famous member of the family is Francesco (1483-1540), who retired in Florence and Poppiano after being ambassador in Spain on behalf of Medicis, Lords of Florence.

The church "Pieve di San Piero in Mercato" and the village of Lucardo represent the most ancient structures in the Montespertoli area, and their origin dates back to the Early Middle Age. Today the church hosts an important Museum.

Events and Fairs in Montespertoli area

All over the year Montespertoli and its area host a large number of Events and Fairs in the field of food and wine, culture and sports, like for example:

Go to the photos of the Montespertoli village