Montepulciano Wine Tasting and Assisi Private Day Tour from Rome

MONTEPULCIANO Travelling through beautiful Tuscany, among the rolling hills and small lakes on the border with Umbria, you will come across this ancient town, Montepulciano, which stands on a hill overlooking the Val di Chiana and val d’Orcia. This is a town which is rich in history and art, set in the agricultural landscape of Siena, the ideal place to relax, but also to live in contact with nature, surrounded by gentle hills covered with olive groves, vineyards and forests of pine and chestnut trees. Famous for its ancient traditions, every year Montepulciano renews its folklore with spectacular events. Beginning with the "Bravio delle botti" (The barrel contest), a competition between districts, which takes place in the streets of the city. Do not miss the spectacular "Bruscello Poliziano": popular Tuscan traditional theatrical shows which have been repeated every year in the Cathedral churchyard since 1939. Montepulciano and the hilly clay areas on the edge of the Valdichiana plain such as Valiano, the Abbey of Montepulciano, Sant'Albino, Argiano, San Gavino, Gracciano, are the area of production of the Vino Nobile of Montepulciano. The grape that characterizes this aristocratic wine is the Prugnolo Gentile. The Consorzio of Vino Nobile and several major wineries are based here in Montepulciano, including the Cantina del Redi, directly connected to the roof terrace of Palazzo Ricci. ASSISI One of the most famous towns in Italy is Assisi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and, above all, homeland of St. Francis, the man who renounced all his possessions in order to devote his life to helping the needy. Dedicated to him is the splendid Basilica, one of the emblems of Christianity, located on Mount Subasio, from which it overlooks the entire valley, is dedicated to him. Apart from being a strong appeal for millions of religious believers, the Basilica is a monument of great artistic value. St. Francis's Basilica consists of two churches laid upon each other and a crypt containing the tomb of the Saint. The Lower Basilica, with a double front portal, presents a simple facade embellished with a rose window and a mosaic. The interior is decorated with frescoes by some of the most important painters from 1200 to 1300, from Cimabue to Giotto and from the Lorenzettis to Simone Martini. The light that filters through the beautiful stained glass windows by Giovanni di Bonino and Puccio Capanna creates a very suggestive ambience. In the Upper Basilica, it is possible to see the life cycle of St. Francis in frescoes painted by maestro Giotto, and the stories of the Old and New Testament covering the entire nave, and other wonderful frescoes by Cimabue and Torriti. Another figure who has deeply influenced these places is Saint Clare, to whom the homonymous Basilica - presenting a facade made of white and pink stone and divided into three sections by horizontal cornices - is dedicated. The engaging interior frescoes and the remains of the Saint are visible through a window in the crypt.