Montisi the magical village part of Montalcino
Toscana-Montalcino-Montisi
By Donatella Cinelli Colombini
Two km from Fattoria del Colle there is a sign indicating the entrance to the territory of Montalcino. I feel at home, although originally my municipality was not so big because it expanded with a merger only in 2016. It is a fact that in Montisi (6 km from the Fattoria) now they say here in Montalcino>> and I listen to them ecstatic.
Montisi is perhaps the most intact medieval settlement in Tuscany.
A small gem built on the remains of the Cacciaconti castle with narrow streets that climb up one inside the other among beautifully restored stone houses. It is so pretty that it looks fake but it is not… the Pieve della Santissima Annunziata (XIII century) with a beautiful altarpiece by Bartolomeo (1496), the Church of Santa Flora and Lucilla, the ‘Oratorio di Sant’Antonio Abate with the small museum that testifies how, the poor people of Montisi could survive by helping each other. In these places I have a beautiful personal memory.
MONTISI A PERSONAL MEMORY WITH ABSOLUTION
I was little more than twenty and studied medieval Sienese goldsmiths. As in each of the things that I do, even in that case I had thrown myself into the adventure with all myself dragging my husband, then fiancé Carlo Gardini, in an interminable pilgrimage between museums and churches to count chalices, reliquaries, and so on …
In Montisi there was a processional cross and I went to examine it and photograph it. Seeing the patience with which Carlo helped me, the priest said to him “Were you in Rome for the Holy Year? Did you take up the plenary indulgence?” Carlo did not expect it and was amazed “no” he answered with a thread of voice “it doesn’t matter>> said the priest “ kneel because I’ll give you absolution, I can see that you are a good boy>> and blessed him. To me nothing, he obviously understood who was the tender one between us.