Montepulciano: Pearl of the 1500s or Disney of the Renaissance?

Many of you will know Montepulciano for the beauty of its historic center that has earned the town the nickname 'Pearl of the 1500s'. Others amongst you will immediately connect this Tuscan village to the flavoursome wine produced in this area: Nobile di Montepulciano. What many of you perhaps are not aware of is why this delightful village has become known in recent years as the 'Disney of the Renaissance'. You're dying to find out, aren’t you? Well, keep reading!

The reason is very simple: the historic center of Montepulciano oozes with charm and atmosphere which, combined with the beauty of the surrounding countryside, have made it the ideal choice for the setting of many national and international film productions. It was chosen as the location for their shooting by such directors as Ettore Scola, who here shot some scenes of 'Arcidiavolo' – a 1966 film starring the great Vittorio Gassman and Liliana Cavani - and also used it as the background for some scenes of 'Galileo' in 1968. In the nineties, and precisely in 1996, Montepulciano was again chosen as the location for several scenes of 'A spasso nel tempo' the comedy film starring Christian De Sica and Massimo Boldi and directed by Carlo Vanzina.

If you think that only Italian films have been shot in Montepulciano, you are wrong: the nickname 'Disney' derives from the fact that many international productions have also elected Montepulciano as their filming location. This is the case, for example, of the 1966 Oscar movie 'The English patient' directed by Anthony Minghella and starred by the two great actors Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche.

But it is unarguably in recent years that the idyllic relationship between Montepulciano and cinema seems to have literally taken off. One of the reasons seems to have been the movie 'New Moon', the sequel of 'Twilight', the vampire saga telling the love story between Bella and Edward played by Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson.

Even actors such as Dustin Hoffmann have trodden the ancient stones of the streets of Montepulciano in their acting career, as in the case of the film 'I Medici'. The second series will see again this splendid Renaissance village among the filming locations.

Are you passionate about cinema and do you feel like going to see in person all the places where these films were shot? You are absolutely right! So why not book our Private Tour in Montepulciano and be accompanied by our expert guides in the discovery of the wonderful pearl of the Renaissance? We will be waiting for you!