Montepulciano

Montepulciano needs 1 day: the hilltop old town, with the Palazzo Comunale and its 360° view over Tuscany, on one end, and the Church of San Biagio, a Renaissance jewel standing alone among vineyards on the outskirts, on the other. April-October is best for combining it with a tasting of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, one of Italy's most prestigious reds. It's mid-priced for the region. It gives its name to that wine -made there since the 14th century- and its underground cellars, carved beneath the old town itself, can be visited by walking under the village.