Via di Gracciano nel Corso
The main street of Montepulciano starts at a 14th-century gate and climbs — steeply, on cobblestones — for just over a kilometre before arriving at Piazza Grande and its cathedral. Along the way it quietly changes name four times: Gracciano, Voltaia, Opio, Poliziano. Each stretch has its own character, its own palazzos and wine-shop doorways, its own sudden side-alley opening onto a sweep of Val d'Orcia.
At number 73, Palazzo Bucelli's lower facade is embedded with fragments of Etruscan urns and funerary inscriptions — a casual, extraordinary thing to walk past. Beneath a nearby cantina, tunnels lead to a 4th-century BC Etruscan tomb, ageing Vino Nobile barrels, and what is reportedly a medieval torture chamber. The street earns its length.
💛 What travellers fall for
People who come back tend to pause at Palazzo Bucelli long enough to read the Etruscan fragments properly, then duck into Cantina Ercolani for a cellar tour rather than just a tasting. The minibus from Piazza Don Minzoni is worth the one euro — your legs will thank you on the return descent.
The story behind Via di Gracciano nel Corso
Montepulciano's ridge-top layout dates to at least the 4th–3rd centuries BC, and the Corso grew as the spine of that settlement. The town's name appears in written records only from 715 AD, in a document connected to the Lombard king Liutprando. Its defining architectural moment came after 1390, when Montepulciano aligned itself with Florence and entered a long period of patronage: Antonio da Sangallo the Elder, Baldassarre Peruzzi, Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola, and Ippolito Scalza each left work here across the 15th and 16th centuries.
The Porta al Prato at the Corso's lower end dates from the 1300s — the gate you pass through before the climb begins. The street's procession of palazzos, including Palazzo Bucelli with its Etruscan spolia, reflects that layering: Etruscan subsoil, medieval bones, Renaissance facade.
Good to know
Park outside the ZTL and take the minibus (€1) from Piazza Don Minzoni up to Piazza Grande, then walk the Corso downhill. Allow two hours minimum. Book wine-cellar visits ahead in summer. The street itself is free to walk.
Summer days reach around 28°C, and the climb feels it — morning visits are cooler and quieter. Rain falls mainly in winter, when the street is quieter still and parking at Piazza Don Minzoni is free.
Where is Via di Gracciano nel Corso?
Location
- In Montepulciano
- 43.0990, 11.7840
- Open in Google Maps
More tickets & tours for Via di Gracciano nel Corso
Book directly at the provider
More of Montepulciano
Discover where to stay, what to do and the best deals for your trip.
Explore Montepulciano →More attractions in Montepulciano
All of Montepulciano →
Background adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA) · map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · ratings & place photos via Google · other photos with per-image credit. Ticket links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.