Museum
Historic Residence
Spaces & Places
Montepulciano and the Val di Chiana
Lucignano, the village shaped like an ellipse, and Piazza Grande in Montepulciano, the town of Vino Nobile.
Val di Chiana · villages, architecture, wine
- km in all
- 77
- of driving
- 1 h 35
- the whole day, stops included
- 4 h 30
- stops
- 2
A morning in the Val di Chiana: first Lucignano, about twenty minutes from the Grancia, then Montepulciano, on top of a hill between the Val di Chiana and the Val d'Orcia.
The day
Driving times are Google Maps' without traffic; the stops are the ones we suggest. Leave around 9 and you will be back in the early afternoon.
Leave the Grancia
20 min by car · 16 km
Lucignanosuggested stop about 45 min
35 min by car · 27 km
Montepulcianosuggested stop about 1 h 30
Tasting or light lunchabout 45 min
40 min by car · 35 km
Back at the Grancia
The stops
from La Grancia · 16 km · about 20 min
Lucignano
In the province of Arezzo, it is one of the Borghi più belli d'Italia. Its walls draw an ellipse around the old town, and the streets climb in rings up to the Collegiate Church of San Michele Arcangelo at the top: a pleasant walk. The Civic Museum keeps the Golden Tree, also called the Tree of Lucignano.
On foot in Lucignano
- the historic centre
- Piazza del Tribunale
- the Civic Museum
- the Collegiate Church
Piazza del Tribunale 
The Civic Museum 
The Collegiate Church
from Lucignano · 27 km · about 35 min
Montepulciano
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG
Piazza Grande is the main square and the highest point of the town. The Palazzo Comunale was completed in 1440, with a façade attributed to Michelozzo; the cathedral faces it. Via Ricci runs down from the centre between palaces, and from the walls the view opens over the Val di Chiana. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano has been a DOCG red since 1980. The Via Lauretana does not touch the town centre, but it crosses the municipality at Abbadia di Montepulciano and Valiano, on its way from the Grancia to Cortona.
On foot in Montepulciano
- Piazza Grande
- the Palazzo Comunale
- the cathedral (Duomo)
- Via Ricci
- views over the Val di Chiana
Piazza Grande 
The Palazzo Comunale 
The cathedral (Duomo) 
Via Ricci 
Views over the Val di Chiana
from Montepulciano · 35 km · about 40 min
Back to the Grancia
From Montepulciano you are back at the Grancia in about 45 minutes.
Why choose it
Two very different old towns in one morning: Lucignano, gathered inside its elliptical walls, and Montepulciano, the Renaissance hill town of Vino Nobile.
Where to stop
Around the old town of Montepulciano you will find numbered car parks.
Late in the morning there is time for a tasting or a light lunch before you head back.
Distances and times are Google Maps' without traffic and are approximate: traffic, parking and stops add to them.
FAQ
How far is Lucignano from the Grancia?
About 16 km by car, around twenty minutes.
How far is Montepulciano from the Grancia?
About 34 km by car, around forty minutes.
Which wine is made in Montepulciano?
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, a DOCG red you can taste in the town.
Set off from the Grancia and come back to it
Four Junior Suites in the old town of Serre di Rapolano: in the evening you come back to the same place, with no need to repack.
Check availability- Photo: opening photo · Martin Falbisoner, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Photo: Lucignano · Edisonblus, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Photo: Lucignano, Piazza del Tribunale · Welkinridge, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Photo: Lucignano, the Civic Museum · Repuli, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Photo: Lucignano, the Collegiate Church · LigaDue, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Photo: Montepulciano · TeKappa, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Photo: Montepulciano, Piazza Grande · Gzen92, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Photo: Montepulciano, the Palazzo Comunale · TeKappa, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Photo: Montepulciano, the cathedral (Duomo) · Mongolo1984, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Photo: Montepulciano, Via Ricci · Walter Giannetti, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Photo: Montepulciano, views over the Val di Chiana · Gzen92, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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