This is the story of how an impoverished town not far from Siena, a town which people had been leaving in droves, has now become one of the richest and most famous towns in the world. In the last few years Montalcino has become a tourist attraction and a destination for the tourists, while leading figures from the world of international politics choose to spend their holidays in Montalcino or even travel there when on official visits. All this has come about thanks to a wine, or rather thanks to The Wine, as it is affectionately referred to by the people of Montalcino. And the town's name is inextricably bound up with the name of the wine. Today Brunello di Montalcino is one of the most important and best-known wines in the world.