Contrada di San Donato Montepulciano

This district takes its name from the parish so named by the apostle of Montepulciano, which was the first to lead in this area, the Christian religion. According to the Smoke (guide Bagni di Montepulciano and Chianciano, Montepulciano 1894) soon after its foundation, the city consisted of two parts, one consisting of the parishes of San Donato and Santa Margherita del Sasso (now San Francisco). Then it is hard not to believe that, perched atop the country in the area of ​​stone, the district of San Donato was one of the first to see the light. In fact we have news of its existence since the beginning of the twelfth century. In its territory have always found some accommodation of the power centers of the most important medieval city. Also in San Donato have lived many notable families of Montepulciano that have characterized much of the history of the city. Just think that in 1410 there were fifteen families in the district with property estimated at around a thousand pounds, a figure very impressive for the time. In the late 1500s several houses were demolished poor due to the construction of the cathedral, which now occupies a good half of the territory of the district. This caused a significant decrease in the number of inhabitants and currently San Donato is one of the least populated districts of Montepulciano. Inevitable, therefore, that the biggest problem that faces the Rectory is just one of the participation of the residents in the life of the district itself, exacerbated by the fact that in many cases they are elderly. Among the "centers of power" mentioned above you should start by mentioning the medieval fortress (misnamed Medici), located on the southern spur of the hill on which stands the city and almost certainly was built on the site of the first acropolis Etruscan and Roman. A few meters from the fortress is the splendid scenery of Piazza Grande, once the heart of the district and the city. It 'a kind of square whose sides are made from the Duomo, the imposing Town Hall on which stands the bell tower, Palazzo Contucci, distinguished by Antonio da Sangallo and massive and austere huge Palazzo Nobili-Tarugi and a little' back , from the gothic Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo. Corner of the last two are combined the sleek lines of graceful Well Grifi and Lions. Last but not least on the left side of the cathedral is the magnificent Teatro Poliziano, which dates to the eighteenth century.