Voltaia

contrada voltaia bravio delle botti

Voltaia was built within the second circle of Montepulciano’s walls.

It was 1157 when the English pope Adrian IV had a second set of walls built in Montepulciano. These fortifications – originating at the medieval fortress – encompassed and enclosed Voltaia connecting it with the “Porta della Cavina” gate. In 1236, St. Bartholomew Church was built in the central area of the district, adjacent to the “Sasso” walls. The church also had a plot of uphill land at the rear, known as “Orti di San Bartolomeo”. There, in addition to the rector’s own vegetable garden, a well called “Pozzo di Voltaia” was present. The Voltaia suburb originally consisted of a group of houses located just around the “Villa della Fornace al Sasso”. Nowadays, it also includes houses and craft shops found outside the “Porticciola” and along the “Opio” lane. Over time, the district became one of the most densely populated.

The district of Voltaia has won six editions of the Bravìo delle Botti: 1996, 2013,  2014, 2016, 2017 and 2019.