The Palazzo Comunale dominates Piazza Grande, Montepulciano's main square, from the highest point of the ridge. Its crenellated tower is the most visible landmark in the town and can be climbed for panoramic views over the Val di Chiana, the Val d'Orcia, and on clear days as far as Monte Amiata and Lake Trasimeno. The building was designed in the Florentine Gothic manner and retains its imposing civic authority.
Piazza Grande itself is one of the best civic spaces in southern Tuscany — surrounded by Renaissance palaces, including the Palazzo Tarugi and the Palazzo Contucci, and facing the cathedral. The well at the centre of the square, decorated with the heraldic griffins and lions of the town's noble families, is known as the Pozzo dei Grifi e dei Leoni and dates from the sixteenth century.