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Eating, drinking and entertainment
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One
cafA©
is worth a special mention.
CaffA? Poliziano
, at Via di Voltaia nel Corso 27 (daily 7am-midnight), is a tearoom from 1868 restored to a classic Art Nouveau design; it serves pastries and pots of tea as well as moderately priced full meals.
Rosticceria di Voltaia
, Via di Voltaia nel Corso 86 (no closing day), is a plain, sociable little
restaurant
; cosy
La Briciola
on Via delle Cantine (closed Wed) serves quality wood-fired pizza. Just inside the Porta al Prato are a clutch of good options.
Osteria della Porta di Bacco
(aka
Fattoria Pulcino
), Via di Gracciano nel Corso 106 (tel 0578.757.948), is a quiet, characterful old stone-arched place; nearby is
Il Cantuccio
, Via delle Cantine 1 (tel 0578.757.870; closed Mon), with a standard Tuscan menu enlived by items such as
coniglio alla medievale
(roast rabbit). Opposite San Biagio church is the very pleasant
La Grotta
(tel 0578.757.479; closed Wed), serving mid-priced classic Tuscan cuisine in a sixteenth-century building with its own garden.
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano has been acclaimed since medieval times and today boasts a top-rated DOCG mark. Local vineyards offer tastings in the town (generally free, but often requiring advance notice) - the tourist office has a complete list, and can organize a wine-tasting ramble for you. Some of the many places to check out include the venerable Contucci , Via San Donato 15 (tel 0578.757.006), which can trace the family line in Montepulciano back a thousand years; Cantina Del Redi , Via di Collazi 5 (tel 0578.716.092, info@cantinadelredi.com ); and Borgo Buio , Via Borgo Buio 10 (tel 0578.717.497, www.borgobuio.it ; closed Thurs). Even if you can't afford Vino Nobile, ordering a cheap carafe of house rosso anywhere in Montepulciano will turn up a fragrant, silky smooth and highly memorable wine.
Every July, the three-week
Cantiere Internazionale d'Arte
(
www.cantiere.toscana.nu
) presents exhibitions and concerts around town, and the last Sunday in August sees the
BravA¬o delle Botti
, a barrel-race in medieval costume. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Italy,
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