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Voykit pocket guide · Italy
Montefollonico
Half a day: walk the 13th-century streets, eat lunch at one of three restaurants, then drive to Montepulciano or Pienza. Not a base.
Montefollonico is a quiet hilltop village in the Siena province, across the valley from Montepulciano. Its medieval core is intact and uncrowded. There are no major sights — the appeal is the atmosphere and a meal. Most visitors stop for 2–3 hours on a Val d'Orcia drive.
- Country
- Italy
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (heat, crowds on the road)
- Stay
- 0 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Cards and contactless are widely accepted in cities; small cafés, markets and rural places may prefer cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget €50–80 excl. bed · Mid €80–150 excl. bed · High €150+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- TIM, Vodafone, WindTre and Iliad sell prepaid SIMs in shops and at airports; a passport and an Italian tax code (codice fiscale, issued in-store) are needed.
- Emergency
- Police 113 · Fire 115 · Ambulance 118 · EU-wide emergency 112
- Plugs
- Types C, F, L · 230 V · 50 Hz · Italian type L plugs have three pins in a row; most sockets also take two-pin Europlugs (C), and bivalent sockets take Schuko (F).
- Tipping
- Bar: Leave €0.10–0.20 of change on the counter if you like.; Restaurant: Coperto or service may already be on the bill; leave €1–2 a person or round up for good service.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro.; Hotel porter or housekeeping: €1–2 per bag or per night.; Tour guide: €5–10 per person for a half day.
- Water
- Tap water is safe unless signed otherwise; Rome's nasoni fountains run all day. Restaurants serve bottled water (naturale or frizzante) unless you ask for tap (acqua del rubinetto).
- Toilets
- Few public toilets; use bars (buy a coffee), museums and stations, where some charge €1.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Lunch (primo, secondo, water, coffee) | €25–40 |
| Glass of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano | €5–8 |
| B&B double room | €80–150 |
| Cooking class (half-day) | €230–280 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- FLR · Florence Peretola
- About 1 h 30 min by car; bus to Siena then local train to Montepulciano Stazione, then taxi
- PSA · Pisa Galileo Galilei
- About 2 h by car
- CIA · Rome Ciampino
- About 2 h 30 min by car
Typical fares
- Montepulciano → Montefollonico by taxi
- about €15–20, 10 min (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
On foot inside the village. A car is essential to reach it and to continue to other Val d'Orcia towns.
See and do
Known for
- 13th-century hilltop village
- Views across the valley to Montepulciano
- Off the tourist path
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Montepulciano | Car, about 10 min | 10 min |
| Pienza | Car, about 20 min | 20 min |
| Siena | Car, about 1 h | 1 h |
| Chianciano Terme | Car, about 15 min | 15 min |
Sleep
- Montefollonico centre
- A couple of B&Bs and a hotel; very quiet after 20:00.A couple of B&Bs and a hotel; very quiet after 8:00 PM.
- Montepulciano
- 10 min by car; more restaurants, bars and accommodation options.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello / Goodbye | Ciaochow |
| Thank you | Graziegraht-see-eh |
| How much is it? | Quanto costa?kwahn-toh koh-stah |
| The bill, please | Il conto, per favoreeel kohn-toh pehr fah-voh-reh |
| Where is the toilet? | Dov'è il bagno?doh-veh eel bahn-yoh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say buongiorno (until mid-afternoon) or buonasera on entering shops and bars; avoid: Walking in and pointing without a greeting
- Cheek kisses: Two kisses, right cheek first, among friends; follow their lead; avoid: Kissing strangers or in business settings
- Dress: Smart-casual in cities; covered shoulders and knees in churches; avoid: Beachwear, bare chests and flip-flops away from the beach
- Queues: At delis and pharmacies take a number (numerino); avoid: Assuming the crowd at a bar counter is chaos — pay at the till first where asked
- Restaurants: Wait to be seated and ask for the bill; avoid: Splitting a bill item by item with a large group
- Conversation: Food, football and family are safe openers; avoid: Mafia jokes and north–south stereotypes
- Dinner at a home: Bring pastries, wine or flowers (not chrysanthemums, which are for funerals); avoid: Refusing seconds too firmly
Scams and watch-outs
- Narrow streets: park outside the walls and walk in.
- No bank or ATM in the village: get cash in Montepulciano.
- Restaurants may close one day a week (check).
Very safe. Watch for uneven stone pavements and narrow roads with no guardrails.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Montefollonico yet. Suggested stay: 0 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- 13th-century hilltop village
- Views across the valley to Montepulciano
- Off the tourist path
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Montefollonico, revision 5042184 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5042184
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/montefollonico). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.