Since its' release in 2008, I was obsessed with the Twilight Saga. I read the books, watched the films multiple times and even owned some very embarrassing merchandise, that has since been lost in the abyss that is my attic. I loved everything about the saga - the blue-tint of the first movie, the soundtrack and the backdrop of fir trees against fog and rain. 2020 has been a difficult year and in times of difficulty, we often revert back to times of simplicity. For me, this meant binge-watching the Twilight saga, reading the long-awaited Midnight Sun and even learning Bella's Lullaby on the piano. So when I got the opportunity to travel to Tuscany, I knew that I had to visit Montepulciano.
If you've watched New Moon, you'll be more than familiar with the clock tower that dominates the Piazza Grande. After believing that Bella is dead, Edward takes a trip to Volterra, where he intends to confess his crime to the Volturri. If that doesn't work, he will make a public scene - revealing his true state and exposing the existence of vampires. Edward cannot live without Bella and as he cannot die by the usual means (he is immortal after all), he relies on the Volturri to carry out the job. After Alice has a vision that Edward is killed, Bella and Alice fly to Italy to spare Edward and thus we have the incredibly intense scene where we see Bella run through crowds of people, who are celebrating the expulsion of vampires from the city, in order to stop Edward from exposing his vampirism and ending his life.
Unfortunately, when I visited, there was no anti-vampire festival taking place, Edward Cullen was not stood under the clock tower and it was far too sunny for Aro to make an appearance. However, it was absolutely beautiful. The actual filming location of New Moon is the Tuscan town of Montepulciano, despite it being named Volterra in the film. Volterra is a real place, and they have cashed in on the Twilight franchise, but many fans are disappointed to learn that it isn't actually the place where the movie is filmed.
We were staying in Florence, and it takes around 2 hours to get to Montepulciano. There is no direct train, so we decided to take a train and a bus. I booked us onto the 6.45am train leaving from Stazione di Santa Maria Novella (which I kind of hated myself for when I had to get up at 5.30am) and arrived in Chiusi-Chianciano Terme at 8.29am.
Once we arrived at Chiusi-Chianciano, we caught the bus to Montepulciano. It was slightly confusing, as there are stops before the town that have Montepulciano in the name, but I just used Google Maps to figure out how close we were to the main attractions. The scenery was absolutely beautiful as well. I don't think many experiences can compare to being driven through the Tuscan countryside on a beautiful sunny morning in August.
Rolling hills and Siena-toned farm houses line the landscape that leads to Montepulciano town. There is something so exciting about seeing your end-destination on top of a hill and the anticipation of every turn in the road being one step closer to it.
Once we got off the bus at Montepulciano, we had to walk up the hill into the town, which might have been difficult for those who have limited mobility. Our first point of call was of course the Piazza Grande, to see the infamous Comune di Montepulciano, in search of Edward Cullen. The streets of Montepulciano, like most Italian towns, are interesting and beautiful. I am probably the most annoying person to walk around a new place with, as I'm just captivated by the smallest things.
Montepulciano was reportedly founded in in the sixth century, by the people of Chiusi, the neighbouring town through which we passed on our journey. Due to its situation, the town was constantly being fought over by the Sienese and the Florentines, and passed ownership multiple times. In 1511 however, Montepulciano changed hands for the last time and came under the jurisdiction of the Florentines. Montepulciano affords a lot of its influence to Florence, particularly in symbolism across the town.
Once we reached the Piazza Grande and I had spent a significant amount of time contemplating the fact that I had finally got the chance to visit the set of New Moon, it was time for our first drink of the day. It was already 27 degrees at 8am, so I paired my Cappuccino with peach ice tea.
The Piazza was super quiet, so it had definitely been worth the early start, as we were able to enjoy our breakfast with uninterrupted views of the Comune.
I loved the rustic and old feel to Montepulciano. I'm not a big city person and I love history, so Montepulciano just captivated me in so many different ways. I loved this fountain which features lions and griffins, which depict imagery associated with the Medici Family.
Once we'd had our breakfast, we decided it was time to explore the town. I picked up some souvenirs and we stopped at various view points to admire the Tuscan backdrop. I felt like there was just so much to see in this town, that some people who I shared my photos with would have been so confused as to why I took photos of such random things, but everything in this town was just so beautiful.
Montepulciano also lends its name to a red wine, and being in the Chianti region is popular with lovers of red wine. I'm ashamed to say that I really dislike red wine, so didn't sample any, but I did get to try one of the best and most popular delicacies that Italy is famous for. Gelato.
I mean, no trip to Italy is complete without eating endless gelato and I've tried so many different flavours, but one piece of advice I would give for anyone visiting Italy in August and that is do not order chocolate gelato.
This gelato was delicious, but even standing outside the shop (as you can see from this photo) it was already starting to melt. I walked down to a little viewpoint to eat it, and must have used every single napkin I could to clean up the mess. It was so bad that I even considered ditching the gelato, in favour of keeping my white top clean. With great determination however, I did finish the gelato and I was glad, but next time I will order a flavour that is white. Either that, or I would have asked for a straw.
After gelato-gate, we decided to continue exploring this pretty little town. After escaping the tourist hotspots, that were becoming increasingly busy as the day went on, we were so pleasantly surprised to come across the Chiesa di Santa Lucia, a beautiful little Baroque church that was designed in 1653 by Flamini del Turco and despite it not possessing the same grandeur as other Baroque-movement churches, it definitely had a certain charm to it.
It was nice to admire this beautiful Italian church in complete solitude, as we were the only visitors. We lit a candle and made a donation to the church and stayed some time to admire the artwork in the church. Italian churches are so ornate and gorgeous, and I feel so lucky to have been able to visit so many of them. This one was certainly unique, as compared to other places of worship, this one definitely displayed signs of wear and tear, including a lot of cobwebs.
Apart from the candles, there was almost no sign of it being visited in years. It was so beautiful nonetheless, and I like the fact it truly felt like a hidden gem.
Montepulciano's streets are lined with pretty boutiques, gorgeous cafes and historical gems, all on top of a hill, overlooking the beautiful Tuscan countryside.
My top tips for anyone visiting Montepulciano are to arrive early, as the town gets super busy in the afternoon, take comfortable shoes as there are lots of hills and if you're visiting in August, choose a gelato flavour that will not ruin your clothes if it melts!
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