Being able to fly like a bird high over the magical lands that grow Brunello di Montalcino used to be just a dream. Today, that has become reality, thanks to an extraordinary social-cultural phenomenon.

Officially now open to the public, in the ex-Sant’Agostino Monastery, is a technologically cutting-edge, interactive museum where visitors can don virtual-reality headsets to not only “take flight” over the Brunello denomination but to immerse themselves directly and personally in the endless exciting experiences offered by places so rich in history, culture, and wine.

The Oro di Montalcino (the Gold of Montalcino) and the Tempio (Temple) project is a joint initiative of the Siena-Colle Val d’Elsa-Montalcino Diocese, the comune of Montalcino, and the Consorzio of Vino Brunello. Its mission is to showcase this splendid historico-religious complex and give a sense of Sant’Agostino’s unique importance and wider meaning in the region. It is now a place to admire centuries of artworks and to intimately experience the full panoply of life embodied in Brunello di Montalcino: an enchanted interweaving of art, culture, and nature in which technology is today’s “flying carpet,” transporting the visitor to the discovery of exciting adventures and to feeling truly a part of this world-famous area.

In the words of Giuseppe Costa, President of Opera Laboratori, “It is the beginning of an ongoing project, since here, uniquely, we can combine in a dynamic synthesis this building complex, historical culture, and the full life of this growing area.”

So, there is no time to lose: come take flight and embrace every corner of this magnificent area that now, proudly and authentically, lies open to the world as never before.

4 August 2021