The "Bravìo delle Botti", which runs in Montepulciano the last Sunday in August, has its origins in the 14th century. At that time, during the big yearly fair, held in August together with the feast of St. Giovanni Decollato, patron saint of Montepulciano, one of the events organized to attract people from the nearby villages was a horse race.
Rinomata Rameria Mazzetti
Montepulciano and surroundings
The best way to enjoy a place you don't know is to see it through the eyes of the people who have always lived there and that know all the juiciest aspects of that place.
So, when you come to Montepulciano, come visit us! Here you would be able to see how we craft copper, a very fascinating spectacle. And then, if you want, we would recommend a restaurant where to go for lunch or a shop where to buy some good wine...
Leave your car at car park n.8 (the so called "bersaglio"), walk along the upward pathway that leads to the town, stop and admire the valley lying at your feet, then take Via del Poliziano toward right until you reach Via dell'Opio nel Corso, we are at n.64.more...
150 years of history
At the end of the 19th century, my grandfather was a farmer, due to a fall from an oak he gave up his job and returned to Montepulciano, his hometown.
He was good at working metal so he started crafting copper. He used to buy rough copper from a foundry in Gran Sasso to mould his pots. He also used to buy unfinished tableware in Barga (Lucca) and lanterns in Florence.
My grandfather crafted copper objects that my grandmother started to sell at. Chianciano, Pienza, Petroio, Torrita's markets.
They had a horse-drawn carriage.
Several years later they bought the first minivan in Montepulciano: a Fiat 101. The driver was named Lupo Remo Cozzi, he passed away in 2001 aged 100! more...