Tuscany tours around wine growing area is a wonderful italy vacation. Click http://italiantourism.us/tuscany-vacation-package for more on traveling through the Tuscan region including visiting Montalcino. In this Tuscany episode travel to Montalcino. We'll sip the various Brunello di Montalcino wines. In addition to delicious wine, Montalcino is a pretty town in Tuscany. The town is 45 minutes from Siena, almost 2 hours from Florence, and a little less than 2.5 hours from Livorno and Pisa. Montalcino sits on a hill which was probably settled by the Etruscans. Its first mention in historical documents in 814 AD suggests there was a church here in the 9th century, most likely built by monks associated with the nearby Abbey of Sant'Antimo. The town takes its name from a variety of oak tree that once covered the terrain. The very high site of the town offers stunning views over the Asso, Ombrone and Arbia valleys of Tuscany, dotted with silvery olive orchards, vineyards, fields and villages. The lower slopes of the Montalcino hill itself are dominated by highly productive vines and olive orchards. Visit ItalianTourism.us for more about Tuscany tours.
