Starting in front of the Co-cathedral and turning left onto Via Spagni, come downhill till we reach the major shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. In the twelfth century, the shrine was only a little niche in the Montalcino town walls near the Porta al Corniolo (“Dogwood Gate”). In it had been placed, to defend the city, a sacred image painted in tempera showing the Virgin and Child . . .