soon

Tuscan · 2026

“Fortezza di Montalcino”

The fortress of Montalcino on its hill — warm stone walls and crenellated towers above the slopes, the village gathered at its side.

Fortezza di Montalcino — original ink and watercolour

Details

TitleFortezza di Montalcino
PlaceMontalcino, Tuscany
Year2026
CategoryTuscan
Dimensions14.8 × 21 cm (A5)
TechniqueInk and Watercolor on Clairefontaine paper
Palette of the work
Request information

This piece is part of my collection. Originals will soon be available to buy online — write to me in the meantime.

The subject

The Fortress of Montalcino

Crowning the wine town of Montalcino stands a compact fortress of 1361 — the Fortezza — its towers and curtain walls still complete, keeping watch over the Val d’Orcia.

Montalcino, home of Brunello, sits high on its hill in southern Tuscany. After Siena fell to Florence in the sixteenth century, this was the last redoubt of the Sienese republic. The Fortezza, built in 1361 and later strengthened by Cosimo I, encloses a corner of the town; you can still walk its ramparts.

I drew it from below, among the first cypresses and houses, the ochre walls warm against a clear Tuscan sky.

This one is in full colour — the stone honeyed, the sky and the valley bright behind.

Town
Montalcino, Tuscany
Built
1361
Shape
a fortress corner
Wine
Brunello
Last stand of
the Sienese republic
The fortress of Montalcino with its towers and gate
The Fortezza of Montalcino — the pentagonal fortress of 1361.Photo: Type17 at English Wikipedia — CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
The rooftops of Montalcino above the Val d’Orcia
Montalcino on its hill, looking out over the Val d’Orcia.Photo: The original uploader was Type17 at English Wikipedia. — CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
A fortress that is now part of a wine town — I drew it warm and whole, holding the hill it has always held.

Ink for the crenellations and the tower, warm washes for the stone, a little green and gold for the hillside falling away below.

It is one of my Tuscan sketchbook pages — a real place, drawn on the spot and coloured for the light.

See also · Tuscan Anghiari · Castello di Poppi · Torre di Montecchio, Valdichiana