My Italian Secret: Montalcino

I like to refer to Montalcino as my great Italian secret. If you are going to Tuscany, Florence, Rome or Italy for that matter, you need to make this a stop in your itinerary. In fact, I am so in love with this place that I made my family drive 3 hours outside of Rome to see it for themselves.

Montelcino is a small walled fortress in the middle of Tuscany. Time has stood still in this Italian town. The streets are too narrow for cars, the houses are all still the original stone, and there has been no invasion of tourists. This area of Tuscany is known for my favorite wine, Brunello di Montalcino. The rich history of the wine gives the town a flair. The surrounding vineyards stretch for miles, and you’ll find the owners sipping espresso at the local coffee bar, with their Ferraris lined down the road.

While here, you’ll be dining and drinking with the locals, or the few tourists that have managed to snag an Airbnb in the surrounding area. I would recommend driving around Tuscany during the day, and making it to Montalcino to watch the sunset from the top of the walled fortress. Next, make your way down the street to the most delicious Italian restaurant, Trattoria il Pozzo.