Tuscany · Lucca
Montecarlo
A walled hill village above the Lucca plain, founded by Emperor Charles IV in 1333 and named for him, surrounded by twenty wineries.
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 43 min from Pisa
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 4,389
Known for
MONTECARLO DOC
1969 DOC for a Trebbiano-French white blend and a Sangiovese-led red, with around twenty wineries inside the commune.
FORTEZZA DEL CERRUGLIO
Fourteenth-century fortress at the top of the walled hill, expanded by Castruccio Castracani and the Florentines.
CHARLES IV
Founded in 1333 by Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV after he ended Pisan rule over Lucca; the name means Charles's Mountain.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Oct
- J10°
- F13°
- M15°
- A18°
- M22°
- J27°
- J31°
- A31°
- S26°
- O21°
- N15°
- D11°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Montecarlo sits on an isolated hill above the Lucca plain, looking south toward the Valdinievole. Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV founded it in 1333 after liberating Lucca from Pisan rule, on a site previously called Vivinaia for the wine roads that crossed the hill. The name Monte di Carlo, Charles's mountain, has held since.
The walled centro storico is still ringed by its fourteenth-century defensive walls, with the Fortezza del Cerruglio rising above the highest point. Wine production has been documented here since Roman times; the first tavern keepers selling Trebbiano in barrels appear in records in 1371. The Montecarlo DOC was established in 1969, the white blends Trebbiano with French varieties including Sémillon and Pinot Gris, and roughly twenty wineries operate within the commune, a notable density for a population under 4,500.
The Sunday letter
Montecarlo is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Montecarlo comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.
Read on
Montecarlo in our articles
The 6 best towns with a serious restaurant in the province of Lucca6 towns, Montecarlo among them.
The best towns you can reach by train within an hour of Florence6 towns, Montecarlo among them.
The best small towns you can reach by train in Toscana7 towns, Montecarlo among them.
The 8 best towns you can reach by train in the province of Lucca8 towns, Montecarlo among them.
How to get there
From Florence / Pisa (PSA), about 57 minutes by car.
Bologna (BLQ) is about 1h 34m away.
By car from the centre of Pisa 43 minutes or Florence 53 minutes.
There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.
Coming from Pisa, Florence or Bologna?
Coming by train into Prato Centrale? Montecarlo is about 39 minutes away by road.
What to see
Fortezza del Cerruglio
Fourteenth-century fortress on the highest point of the hill, expanded by Castruccio Castracani and the Florentines in the fifteenth century.
Centro storico
Walled medieval village founded by Charles IV in 1333, still inside its original defensive perimeter along Via Roma.
Teatro dei Rassicurati
Small eighteenth-century theatre with 95 seats and a horseshoe plan, inaugurated in 1795 and still used for the autumn season.
Chiesa di Sant'Andrea
Fourteenth-century parish church inside the walls, with a Crucifixion attributed to the school of the Lucchese painter Berlinghieri.
Strada del Vino di Montecarlo
Wine road circuit linking roughly twenty wineries that produce the Montecarlo DOC, a Trebbiano-led white and a Sangiovese-led red.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Montecarlo fits in a slow Italy circuit.
Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.
We recommend
Where to eat
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
Locanda Agricola PosapianoAgriturismo
A Slow Food snail for Locanda Agricola Posapiano, and a Gambero Rosso listing.
Antico Ristorante ForassiepiRistorante
Antico Ristorante Forassiepi holds a spot in the Michelin Guide.
ForassiepiRistorante
One Gambero Rosso fork (78/100), at Forassiepi.
Through the year
What happens here
Feasts and festivals that come back year after year. We give the month rather than the date, because the date moves and the month rarely does. Check with the source before you plan a journey around one.
Festa del Vino Montecarlo di Toscanafood festival
usually held across August and September. itinerarinelgusto.it
Living here
- Population 4,389
- Commuter belti
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest airport Florence / Pisa, 57 min drive
- Regional capital Firenze, 53 min drive
Common questions
- What is Montecarlo known for?
- Montecarlo is a walled hill village at 163 meters above the Lucca plain, founded by Emperor Charles IV in 1333 and named for him, surrounded by twenty wineries.
- Where is Montecarlo?
- Montecarlo is a comune in the province of Lucca, in Tuscany.
- What is the nearest airport to Montecarlo?
- Florence / Pisa (PSA), about 57 minutes by car.
- Can you get to Montecarlo without a car?
- Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
- How long is the drive from Pisa to Montecarlo?
- About 43 minutes by car.
- When is the best time to visit Montecarlo?
- Best in Apr–Oct. August is the warmest month, averaging 31 degrees, and December the wettest, with about 17 rain days.
- Is there a sagra or a festival in Montecarlo?
- Yes. Festa del Vino Montecarlo di Toscana. August is when the first of them falls.
- Which other towns are like Montecarlo?
- Vicopisano, Cormons and Peccioli.
- How many people live in Montecarlo?
- 4,389 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 163 m
- Population: 4,389
- Surface area: 15.67 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
Featured on
Montecarlo appears on 3 themed picks from our Collections:
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