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Cinque Terre and Tuscany cooking Tour (3
nights)
Tuscany Cooking & Touring Tour
(5 nights)
Tuscany Cooking break (3 nights)
Tuscany Truffles Autumn Cooking & Touring
long week-end (2 nights)
Siena hotels
Siena:
Siena
Siena in one day
Tthe Palio
By car or bicycle:
The land of Siena
Tthe Crete
Val d'Orcia
The Via Cassia
Walking Routes:
San Galgano
A look on Valdorcia
The territory of Murlo
Monteriggioni
The forest Berignone
Monte Oliveto
Belverde &l Cetona
Poggibonsi
Castelvecchio
Natural Preserves:
Siena province
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Voyage into the intimacy of the land of Siena
From Poggibonsi to San Galgano: 92 KM.
Here is the real voyage to discover a
land less known in the province of Siena. This route is
mainly of a north/south orientation which takes you into
a world of greenery, where a thick woods alternate with
the fascination of the Metallifere hills and the
vistas of the western part of the province of Siena and
the wild Maremma. Pristine nature and medieval
“Borgos” follow one another in this part of Tuscany
which is untamed and conserves its secrets of an
authentic land.
The trip begins in Poggibonsi, an antique
borgo, which despite its modern aspects, offers the
visitor an historic center of great valore. It lies
where the rivers Staggia and Elsa join
together. There are several reasons to visit this borgo,
the “Collegiata, the 13th century church of
San Lorenzo, the Palazzo Pretorio, the
church of San Lucchese. From Poggibonsi it is easy
to reach San Gimignano, the city of the towers.
Here you’ll find yourself in one of the most visited
towns in Italy which naturally needs no particular
introduction. Our suggestion is to enjoy this town when
its streets and alleys aren’t being invaded by tourists,
in other words, the early morning or just before
sundown. From an urbanistic and architectural point of
view this town is a doorway into the atmosphere of the
Florentine Republic of the 13th century. Of the 72
original towers only 15 are still standing, they look
out over the maze of tiny streets that criss-cross San
Gimignano from the Piazza of the Duomo and the
Piazza of the Cisterna. Our trip continues along the
route of the Vernaccia, a special wine typical of
the zone, proud of its heritage (first D.O.C. wine in
Italy and now a D.O.C.G.) which proposes itself in
contrast with the other, great, famous and rich reds of
Tuscany.
At Castel San Gimignano you will turn right
for just a bit on S.S. 68 (direction Volterra)
and then, left towards Casole d’Elsa. From here
the voyage into the most intimate and secret part of
Tuscany begins, entering fully into the Val d’Elsa. Soon
you’ll come to Casole d’Elsa, a fortified outpost of the
Republic of Siena. The outer walls of the city conserve
on the eastern side two circular towers, the
Collegiata of Santa Maria Assunta (1161 AD) and the
Palazzo Pretorio. Together with the castle (Rocca)
from the 13th century, these structures constitute the
stone axis upon which the historical memory of this
ancient borgo stands, giving peace and tranquillity
today, especially to the surrounding countryside.
Decidedly up and down, one of the most beautiful roads
in the area will bring you an antique borgo-castle
called Mensano, from where the rest of Tuscany
seems far away. Here it’s easy to perceive the human
dimensions of the zone. From Mensano you’ll continue on,
following directions for Radicondoli. After 7 KM.
you will come to Località Casone where you’ll
bare right, arriving at Radicondoli.
Welcome to an unforgettable look out. Proceeding
through the village on the main street you will come to
a small piazza with a bench on your right, towards the
end of the village. This is the ideal spot from where
you can let your gaze wonder over the undulating hills
of the land of Siena. A spectacle you won’t want to
miss.
Retracing out steps to Loc. Casone, you’ll go right
and at the next intersection, right again, passing for
Belforte and Montingegnoli. These are two
castles far from the main roads and despite their small
size they are of rich architectural and urbanistic
heritage. From Montingegnoli you will take the road for
Montalcinello and then, after, for Chiusdino,
entering into the land of the Val di Merse. Now
we are in a boundary area, it’s here that the land of
Siena looks out at the Maremma. In the borgo of
Chiusdino you will find the church of San Martino,
referred to as (outside the walls), the Parrocchia
(parish) next to the birthplace of San Galgano and the
church of the Compagnia Cistercnese di San Galgano
with an interesting bas-relief (1466 AD) which shows
San Galgano thrusting his sword into the stone. It’s
here in the commune of Chisudino that the Abbacy
Cistercian of San Galgano is to be found as well as the
chapel of Monte Siepi, the final objective of our
voyage. The breath taking view of the roof-less
cathedral and its sky ceiling is your reward.
Courtesy of
APT Siena Tourist Office
(c) 1997-2008 E. Massetti
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