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Montespertoli is a town of medieval origin that extends on the top of a hill, 257 meters above sea level, which overlooks the Valdarno, the Val d’Elsa and the Apennine range up to the Apuan Alps.
Its territory, largely hilly, is made up of vineyards, olive groves and wooded areas. Its strategic position, just 30 km from Florence, allows you to easily reach the main cities, such as Siena, Pisa, Volterra and San Gimignano.
In the past it was a free rural municipality and then definitively belonged to Florence, which exploited its territorial position to carry out its trade with important cities such as Volterra and Siena.
THE CITY OF WINE
Today Montespertoli is famous for being the city of wine, every year between the last week of May and the first week of June the Chianti Wine Market Exhibition takes place. The area produces red wines and vineyards characterize the landscape. The nearby town of Lucardo, in medieval times one of the oldest and most important towns in the area, was founded during the Longobard era.
In the Montespertoli area there are several castles, the castle of Poppiano belonged to the Guicciardini family and that of Montegufoni belonged to the Acciaioli family. The territory was annexed to the Florentine countryside in the second half of the 12th century.
The most important market in the area was held in San Pietro in Mercato, which is located less than two kilometers from Montespertoli. Here is also the parish church of San Pietro in Mercato dating back to the 11th century and home to the Museum of Sacred Art.
But in 1465, Montespertoli, due to its position on the road to Volterra, became the seat of this market. The transfer of the market proceeded that of the “podestà”, which took place in the 16th century.
In Montespertoli there are some interesting museums. These include the aforementioned Museum of Sacred Art of the Pieve di San Piero in Mercato and the Museum of Vine and Wine of the “I Lecci” Center for Wine Culture.
