Here’s the quick version of the story of our visit to Monticchiello, a hilltop town in the Val d’Orcia, Italy. We were staying in a nearby agritourismo and making day trips to local towns.

We had already been to Pienza and Montalcino, and then read about Monticchiello.

Before going there, we knew that Monticchiello is a medieval hilltop town, population about 200, less visited by tourists probably because it’s so small, and it has at least two good restaurants.

We arrived just before noon, walked around and took some pictures. Noted the plinth in a parkette which was a WW1 war memorial. Thirty-one soldiers from town had lost their lives. Hmmm.

We bought two bottles of wine at the local store (support the small business), and then had a wonderful lunch on the terrace of La Porta by the town’s entrance.

After lunch, we walked back down to the car in the parking lot and left.

In summary, nice visit, idyllic Tuscan hilltop town, Val d”Orcia views, delicious lunch, sunny September day… what more could you ask for? What more is there to know?

I learned a lot more about Monticchiello a week later, on the flight back to Canada.

Air Canada was showing a documentary called Spettacolo by Jeff Malmberg & Chris Shellen. And it featured Monticchiello! Wow, I wondered what it could be about.

Spettacolo tells the story of the Teatro Povero, or Poor Theater, a unique play put on by Monticchiello’s residents every summer since 1967.

Each year it’s a different play, one that they write, produce and act out themselves. It typically runs from July 22^nd to August 14^th on an outdoor stage that they build in the square. It attracts about 4,000 visitors.

What have the plays been about? Themselves. Every year, the village residents have created a drama about issues relevant to their lives.

The stories have revolved around the town’s shrinking population (it was over 700 a century ago), the future or lack of future in farming, high unemployment, how government decisions have affected them, the number of times the town has faced invaders and wars, the loneliness and boredom of a small village, the lack of resources (an ATM and a post office open a few days a week) and the difference between what tourists see and what residents live every day.

Thought provoking? Was it ever!

And here’s the clincher. For years, the director and driving force of the production has been Andrea Cresti. He recently turned 80. How much longer will he be around for this? How much longer can he marshal the townspeople to come up with a new production? Who will take over for him?

How do the few younger residents see this? Is this something of interest or is it just for their parents and grandparents? Existential questions…

But, Cresti thinks we should have hope. According to him, “A little like this community, the theater has always been on the verge of extinction.”

You can watch the trailer for Spettacolo here. And if you’re nearby next summer, why not see what the townspeople have come up with for the stage?

Seeing Spettacolo made me want to learn more about the recent history of Monticchiello.

That’s when I read about the events of WWII. When Italy entered the war, it was led by the fascist Mussolini who sided with Germany and Japan against the Allies.

But in July of 1943, Mussolini was ousted by King Victor Emmanuel III and by October, Italy had changed allegiance to the Allies. Their former collaborators, the Germans, were now the enemies.

But it wasn’t quite so easy. Despite the King’s decree, many in the Italian army and police forces did not change sides, so now you had Italian fascists fighting Italian partisans, a civil war in effect.

In April 1944, a group of approximately 450 fascists tried to defeat about 70 partisans in and around Monticchiello. After a long battle, the fascists were defeated and were forced to retreat.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of it. Early the next morning, a German platoon barged into Monticchiello, broke into the houses and rounded up all of the villagers. The soldiers’ orders were to shoot them all. The villagers were lined up against a wall inside the gates. The soldiers had their machine guns ready.

At the last moment, Irma Angheben, the German-speaking wife of one of the Monticchiello landlords  persuaded the commander that these villagers were not to blame for the previous day’s battle.

She must have been very convincing. He withdrew the order, the soldiers left and the villagers were spared. The Germans, along with the Italian fascists were soon driven out of the region by the Allies, and about a year later the war in Italy was over.

Would our visit have been different if we’d known this history when we went? Could it still be just a picture postcard Tuscan medieval village with a couple of nice restaurants?

This really gets to the heart of what we want as tourists / visitors. How much do we want to know? How deeply do we want to dig below the surface? Would this knowledge cloud a wonderful lunch on a sunny September day in Val d’Orcia?

I don’t know. I need to think about it. But I would like to go back in the summer for another visit to Monticchiello. See a new production of Spettacolo. Maybe then I’ll have an answer.

By the way, if you want to see a city’s recent history on constant full display, go to Berlin. There are two main themes – the divided city with remnants and reminders of the Berlin wall, and the horror that Nazi Germany inflicted on the Jewish population of the city. We wrote about Berlin’s recent history here.

Travel Resources

There’s nothing like having WiFi wherever you go. We rented a Teppy portable WiFi and carried it with us everywhere. With a Teppy, you can connect your phones, tablets, laptops and gaming consoles just like you connect to WiFi at home.

Use the apps on your phone including your favorite GPS apps without paying expensive cellular service fees.

It’s also perfect for uploading pictures, sending emails or just web browsing. We also used it for online work on the road including web updates and social media.

Teppy portable WiFi works around the world. Try it on your next trip.

For hotel accommodation, we like Booking.com. Photographs show off the properties, and real reviews help you choose the hotel that’s best for you. You’ll find a great selection, current prices and pages that make booking easy.

Remember, Italy is one of the world’s most popular destinations and can get very busy, so book early to get the best selection and price.

Click here, and you’ll get $25 off your next reservation on Booking.com.

We’ve also rented Airbnb throughout USA and Europe. We wrote an article about renting Airbnb, 12 Tips for a Great Renting Experience to help you make the right decision. If it’s your first time renting Airbnb, click here to get the equivalent of $50 CDN off your first booking.

Along with the websites and other travel planning tools, we still like to have a guide book handy. We’ve tried them all, and these days we prefer Lonely Planet books.

Use our link to get 10% off your total order when you enter EARTHTRIPPERS10 during checkout, where it asks for the Discount Code. Please note, this offer is valid only in USA and Canada.

These days there are many things that can happen when you travel, aside from getting bumped from a flight. That’s why we always get insurance for our trips. It covers damage, loss or theft of our belongings, health issues and if necessary, emergency evacuation. Better safe than sorry.

Whether you’ve just booked your trip or are already underway, you can get covered by World Nomads. It’s one of the most popular insurance companies designed specifically for travellers. See if it’s right for you.

Everything you need to know about renting a car in Italy. Read it before you go. Could save you a fortune.

Venice for 11 days just for photography? How did it go? (Hint: Wasn’t enough time, believe it or not!)

Thoughts before taking an 11-day photo trip to Venice. Would it be worth it? Would I enjoy it? Yes and yes…

Read about the exceptional week we spent in Venice in September – including opera at La Fenice.

Join us in learning about Mariano Fortuny, a true renaissance man of Venice, and make sure you visit his palazzo.

Read about the extraordinary kindness from Italians we experienced every day in Italy.

Take advantage of our Top 5 Tips for visiting the Vatican, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s in Rome.

We planned to go to Cinque Terre, but didn’t. Why not?