Montepulciano

Just for a two-day visit, today I came back to my home-town. Well, it's technically more than just my home-town.

Wikipedia would say that Montepulciano is a medieval and Renaissance hill town and commune in the province of Siena, in southern Tuscany (Italy). It has an elevation of 605 m, sits on a high limestone ridge, and it is inhabited by 13.870 people.

It has one of the most important architectonic masterpieces of Humanity, the Sanctuary of the Madonna de San Biagio, built between 1518 and 1545 by Antonio da Sangallo The Elder. It has a circular (central) plan with a large dome over a terrace and a squared tambour. The exterior, with two bell towers, is built in white travertine. Turists, specially in Summer, come from the four corners of the World.

In Montepulciano, apart from my sister and I, in 1454 was born Angelo Ambrogini, known as Il Poliziano, one of the most important Humanist poets of the Médici Era.

Montepulciano is also well-known by its red wine, the Nobile di Montepulciano,  an excellent chianti, produced in many of the vineyards sorrounding the city.

Except for some minor changes, everything looks like it was back in 1500, and in this particular November night, cold and humid, with no turists in sight, it seems as if time has not gone by at all.

But from November 18th, Montepulciano will be known by many others.

That will be the date of the world premiere of  "New Moon", the second installment of the Twilight Saga.

As it happens, the movie has key scenes that were shot here, in Montepulciano, during March and April of this year. Its Medieval streets, its Piazza Grande and its aristrocratic palazzos were used as scenarios.

If the movie has the success everyone predicts, next summer we'll be invaded by turists and vampire-lovers.

What a shame.