Things to do
• La Foce: After having bought the estate in 1924, the owners commissioned the English architect Cecil Ross
Pinsent, who had previously done extensive work on Bernard Berenson’s Villa I Tatti in Florence, to restructure the main buildings and create a large garden. The latter was conceived to enhance the Renaissance house, built in 1498 as an inn for the travellers to Rome on the Via Francigena.
• Chianciano Terme is one of the most famous thermal spa destinations in all of Europe, is located right
between the Val d’Orcia and the Valdichiana, perfectly placed to enjoy some of the most renowned, beautiful parts of Tuscany. Chianciano enchants visits both with its historic town centre and its spa area, rich in mineral healing waters.
• The Val d’Orcia is a wide valley south of Siena through which the old Via Francigena (the chief route linking
Rome with the north) used to lead, passing castles and fortified towns, some of them dating back as far as the
eighth century. In San Quirico make sure you see the Horti Leonini, an early Renaissance garden, as well as the
western door in the city wall and the Collegiata (main church).
• Montepulciano is a graceful Tuscan hill town, best known for its Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, which was being praised by connoisseurs over 200 years ago and can certainly contend with Italy’s best today. The many churches and handsome palazzi, the steep cobbled alleys and vine-trailing stone bastions are essential viewing for anyone venturing south of Siena. On a clear day from the top of the town you have tremendous panoramic views across the countryside, stretching towards Assisi’s Monte Subasio, Monte Amiata, the Val d’Orcia, Pienza, and even the towers of Siena.
• Montalcino is beautifully situated on a hill inhabited since Etruscan times, swathed in vineyards and olive groves.
It is a quiet, auent, attractive town with pretty buildings and flower-filled squares, and many shops selling the
Brunello di Montalcino.
• Monte Oliveto Maggiore. This abbey was founded by three Sienese noblemen who left the city to live a life
dedicated to prayer, religion, etc. and who founded the Olivetan order - an off-shoot of the Benedictines. The
most important thing to see at this still active and working Monastery is the cycle of frescoes that decorate the
monumental cloister. They describe the live of Saint Benedict and were painted by Signorelli and Sodoma. There
are also some beautiful marquetry stalls in the church itself. It is a very magical and serene place set in the midst
of exceptionally beautiful countryside. It is home to a dozen monks who specialize in restoring old books, and
make wine, honey and olive oil.
• Sant’Anna in Camprena is a rambling monastery on the road between Pienza and San Quirico d’Orcia. A very
romantic setting which served as location for the film The English Patient. In the refectory there is a fresco by the
renaissance painter Giovanni Antonio Bazzi, known as Il Sodoma.
• Sant’Antimo is surely one of the loveliest Romanesque buildings in all of Italy. It is hard to imagine a more
sympathetic combination of architectural grace and natural setting. Originally founded by Charlemagne in 800, the abbey was once home to a prominent Benedictine community. Creamy stone bricks, luminous Volterran alabaster, playful carvings and frescoes of animals give it a peculiarly sunny air. A group of French Cistercian monks now runs the abbey, celebrating Mass with Gregorian chants several times a day.
• Pienza is a tiny village in the beautiful Val d’Orcia we highly recommend you visit. The village is located about 20 kilometers east of Montalcino and a few kilometers to the west of Montepulciano amidst gentle undulating hills and wonderful natural landscapes. Pienza enjoys a strategic position standing high atop a hill, dominating all the Orcia Valley with extraordinary views. This charming village is widely known as the “ideal city of the Renaissance”.
• Siena is the capital of the province of Siena. The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. It is one of the nation’s most visited tourist attractions, with over 163,000 international arrivals in 2008. Siena is likely Italy’s loveliest medieval city, and a trip worth making even if you are in Tuscany for just a few days. Siena’s heart is its central piazza known as Il Campo, known worldwide for the famous Palio run here, a horse race run around the piazza two times every summer. Movie audiences worldwide can see Siena and the Palio in the James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace.
• The Val d’Orcia is a wide valley south of Siena through which the old Via Francigena (the chief route linking Rome with the north) used to lead, passing castles and fortified towns, some of them dating back as far as the eighth century. In San Quirico make sure you see the Horti Leonini, an early Renaissance garden, as well as the western door in the city wall and the Collegiata (main church).
• Florence et Rome can be reached by train in one and a half hours from the nearby station Chiusi.
• Fashion addicts can splurge out at the famous Prada factory outlet, which lies on to road to Florence.
