Piazza Grande, Montepulciano
Piazza Grande, Montepulciano historical timeline
Last updated on October 14, 2026- originally — the square is smaller than it is now and surrounded by medieval buildings.
- from 1390 — Montepulciano becomes a loyal ally and later a possession of Florence, which is why the buildings that come to enclose this square are Florentine in idiom rather than Sienese.
- — the statutes of 1337 establish the square's boundaries and its use. It is the centre of public life and hosts a market; crimes committed in the square are punished more severely than elsewhere; and there is a column on which those condemned to the pillory are exposed.
- the 15th century — Michelozzo, architect to the Medici, designs the Palazzo Comunale on the square.
- the third quarter of the 15th century — the bell tower of the old pieve is built; it will be the only part of that church to survive the construction of the cathedral.
- the early 16th century — Antonio da Sangallo the Elder, in the city to build San Biagio below the walls, designs the well in the widening beside palazzo Nobili-Tarugi. Palazzo Nobili-Tarugi is attributed to him or to Vignola.
- after the market moved — with the market transferred to the piazza delle Erbe, Piazza Grande takes on chiefly a representative function, and under the cultural influence of the Florentine and Roman Renaissance it acquires the appearance it has today.
- from the 1580s to 1680 — the cathedral is built on the square to a design by the Orvietan Ippolito Scalza. Sources differ on the start year — 1586 or 1594 — and agree on 1680; its façade is never finished.
- since the 14th century — the Bravio delle Botti has been run on the last Sunday of August, with the town's contrade pushing barrels uphill to this square.
Verified against Wikipedia, October 2026.