Montepulciano Fine Art Photograph

Description

Montepulciano Fine Art Photograph, “Tuscan Textures”

Montepulciano Panorama, Tuscany, Italy

Montepulciano, Italy Fine Art Photograph. This beautiful hilltop town is believed to have been founded by Lars Porsena ,an Etruscan King who batted with Rome during the 5th Century BC. Abundant Etruscan ruins found deep beneath Montepulciano prove that a well established Etruscan community was active during the 3rd and 4th century BC.  After Roman conquest, the city was used as a garrison, guarding the important roads of the area.

After the collapse of the Western Roman empire, Montepulciano was embroiled in a long period of strife and was repeatedly assaulted by the Republic of Siena. Residents persisted with the military aid of Orvieto, Perugia and Florence. In the 14th century, the Del Pecora family ruled Montepulciano and formed an alliance with the Medici Family and the Republic and Florence.

Temple of San Biagio, Montepulciano, Italy, landscape photo,

One of Montepulciano’s favorite sons, Angelo Poliziano was born in 1454.  Angelo was a scholar, educator, and poet. He endeared himself to Lorenzo de Medici and was entrusted with educating the Medici children, and the management of their libraries and antiquities.  Giovanni de Medici, son of Lorenzo was educated by  Poliziano. Giovanni later became Pope Leo X. While heading the catholic church, Giovanni( Leo X) approved and funded the construction of  the  San Biagio Church, one of Montepulciano’s most iconic structures, in part because of his father’s relationship with Poliziano.

Wine Window of Montepulciano, Contucci winery

Incidentally, San Biagio can be seen on the far left hand side of my newest Montepulciano fine art photograph. While exploring Montepulciano during our recent vacation, I discovered a Buchetta del Vino( Little wine window) next to the entrance to the Contucci Winery, which is adjacent to the Piazza Grande, the most prominent Piazza in Montepulciano. The Conntucci family have been making wine in Montepulciano since the year, 1,000AD! I haven’t found any documentation regarding the age of this little wine window, but many of the wine windows of Florence were constructed in the 1500’a. I have just released a Wine windows of Florence fine art photograph which is a result of my recent project, celebrating the wine history in Tuscany. The little wine window pictured at right is the only one ( to my knowledge) that can be found in Montepulciano. In addition to my Buchetta del Vino project in Florence, I also recently released a Fine Art photograph of the Medici Chapels in Florence.

Montepulciano, Italy Fine Art Photograph: the capture

My beautiful wife , Debbie Putnam, in the Piazza Grande, Montepulciano, Italy

Montepulciano captured my heart years ago during a trip to Italy with my wife, Debbie Putnam. We had just visited Rome and Florence where we were thoroughly impressed but had an inner longing for a slower pace and an intimate setting. Montepulciano is where I learned to love the textures of Tuscany. During that first visit, I hadn’t taken a serious stab at travel photography but I did find some astonishing view points that I vowed to return to in the future. In my world of landscape photography, one of my intentions is to capture the essence of a given place. For me, the essence of Tuscany is about textures. The patterns of Olive orchards and Sangiovese vineyards speckled with ancient stone villas and the occasional Renaissance church are the essence of Tuscany that I recall. Being perched on a nearly 2,000 foot high limestone ridgeline, between the famed Val d’Orcia and Val di Chiana offers residents of Montepulciano sweeping views and sumptuous textures.  During our most recent visit to this elegant landscape I knew I’d revisit a vista, perched high on the city walls of Montepulciano which had grand views of the Val di Chiana. We visited in December and to our delight there was still remarkable fall color spattered across the valley. That morning, I arose well before sunrise on what was forecasted to be a cloudy morning. When I arrive at my favorite location atop the Medieval city walls, there was an elegant fog-line stretching across Valdchiana towards the Temple of San Biagio, add even more texture to a rich, elegant Tuscan scene.

Thanks for Visiting,

Mike Putnam