A medieval village in Tuscany

Monticchiello in Val d'Orcia not to be missed

Monticchiello and Val d’Orcia are the roots of our Ciclofficine del Teatro Povero project: they are the cradle of our theatrical and cultural, then commercial and tourist activities. They are the big house and a symbolic square where our community meets, but also where it performs during the theatrical summers that have been going on for more than 50 years.

But let’s go in order…

Monticchiello is an authentic medieval village that still retains the original walls and a tower, which we hope will soon be open to visitors again. The ancient stones tell its glorious history, with central streets, large squares and a majestic church that dominates the upper part. Over the centuries, Monticchiello has demonstrated its value and that of its people in the numerous historical exploits that go up to the Second World War.

Already in the mid-1960s, Monticchiello continued to make its voice heard, bringing the problems of that community to the streets with an authentic theatrical form, which soon became those of an entire society. The numerous spectators saw themselves in those theatrical pictures and began to follow this artistic project, which took the name of Teatro Povero di Monticchiello.

“So a country without a theater is therefore decided to aggregate around an idea of a show in the square, with an original theatrical formula that will soon become for the Teatro Povero di Monticchiello an attempt to collectively reconstruct the meaning and ideals of their lives. A way to resist the crisis.

Since 1967, every summer we have been in the streets and on stage with our “autodrama”: a work that we build together, day after day, starting from the company’s assemblies during the winter and up to the rehearsals and reruns in the summer.” KEEP UP TO DATE WITH THE THEATER REVIEW

Today the Teatro Povero is structured as a Community Cooperative, active on several fronts: the heart of the commitment remains the theatrical and cultural activities in general, which, however, are accompanied by many services carried out for the community of the village and for those who approach it. The Cooperative manages multifunctional spaces such as the Granary, the tourist office, the newsstand, the museum, the internet center, two restaurants, the Ciclofficine, the Guest House, the tourist packages, the reception activities for asylum seekers, some support services and basic health care, a small library, the refreshment point, collaborates in the management of the Museum of the Traditional Tuscan Popular Theater, curates reviews and workshops.