MONTALCINO
At the beginning of the 20th century, Montalcino was no more than a tranquil village of the Tuscan countryside: a few houses, shops and vineyards. The terrains of the Tenute Silvio Nardi have shared in the history this area.
These hills are precisely those that Ambrogio Lorenzetti frescoed so many centuries ago in his allegory of "Buon Governo" (Good Government). Nor is that all: Montalcino is a genuine, almost "ancient" countryside, with many fields and multiple crops, from wheat to medicinal herbs, which alternate with the broad expanses of vines and the dense woods.
The municipality of Montalcino is 40 km to the south of Siena. The territory, bordered by the Orcia, Asso and Ombrone valleys has an almost circular shape with a diameter of 16 kilometers and covers a surface area of 24,000 hectares.
Situated on a picturesque hill that is 564 m above sea level, Montalcino still preserves its charm as an ancient medieval village.
Part of the Artistic, Natural and Cultural Park of Val d'Orcia, the surrounding territory is cultivated with grapevines (for the production of high quality wines), olive trees and woods. The latter primarily contain holm-oak trees the Latin term for which (Ilex) probably gave rise to the name of Montalcino (Mons Ilcinus).
For the very uniqueness of its orographic position, with its four slopes characterized by specific climate and extremely different soils, Montalcino claims to be the best area for Sangiovese to express its viticulture characteristics. Thanks to Brunello achievements, Montalcino acquires once and for all a wide international reputation and becomes one of the best wine-growing areas in the world.