A Tuscan Christmas in Montepulciano

We spent three nights in Montepulciano. It was amazing waking up in our Tuscan farmhouse on Christmas morning.

Christmas Festivities

Nativity Scenes in Churches Presepe are found in shops, squares and churches. Many churches will have a sign saying Presepe. Once you go into this special room in the church you will find enormous nativity scenes.

Christmas Markets The Christmas market in Montepulciano included vendors selling mulled wine, cheeses, crepes, Christmas cake, ornaments, and local crafts

Pienza bonfire This is an old Tuscan tradition, and is a bonfire set up outside of the duomo on Christmas Eve

Accommodations

Tuscan farmhouse on AirBB Roberta had the farmhouse decorated for Christmas.

She had Christmas treats for us to enjoy like an Italian Christmas Cake.

3 Day Itinerary

Day one we arrived at our Tuscan villa late in the afternoon. We had spent the day exploring Siena. We had a hard time finding our farmhouse once we found it, we settled in. We then headed into Montepulciano for dinner and the Christmas market. we also visited wine cellars. It is important to try and get a reservation at the wine cellars. We ate dinner at Osteria Del Borgo. We had such a nice dinner and enjoyed their wine so much we ended up joining their wine club Perbaco Wine Experience.

Day 2

We enjoyed a cooking class at our farmhouse. The class was arranged by the owner of the farmhouse and was a memorable experience. The cooking class took most of the day. After it was finished around 4:00 we headed back into Montepulciano to experience more of the Christmas Market and visit more wine cellars and have dinner.

There was a special Christmas event at the castle at the edge of town and Santa was there artificial falling snow and all. Some of the wine cellars we visited included Cantina Della Taloosa, De Ricci Cantine, and Contucci

Day 3

On our last day we experienced The Heart of Tuscan Drive. We visited the villages of Pienza, Montalcino Val D Orchia Loop. The loop included Pienza, Bagno Vignio, and Orcia

We enjoyed setting in an outside cafe in Pienza on beautiful sunny afternoon.

We also enjoyed buying fresh cheese in Pienza

We enjoyed a Christmas Eve lunch at a Michelin restaurant in the hilltown of Monticchelio Ristorante Daria

Dinner was hard to find that night because alot of restaurants were closed because it was Christmas Eve.