Distances
• The closest village is Pievescola, 8 kilometers away, where you can find a food shop, a café and a restaurant
• Closest international airport is Florence airport – 50 min
• Castello di Casole, A Belmond's hotel 5km - 10 min
• Colle Val d'Elsa 10km - 15 min
• San Gimignano 24 km – 30 min
• Volterra 30 km - 40 min
• Siena 30 km - 30 min
• Greve in Chianti and Montefioralle 36 km – 45 min
• Panzano in Chianti 40 km – 45 min
• Badia a Passignano 50 km - 40 min
• Florence 60 km – 60 min
• Rapolano Terme 60 km – 50 min
• Montalcino 70 km - 1 h 10 min
• Arezzo 77 km – 1 h 25 min
• Bagno Vignoni 80 km - 1 h 15 min
• Montepulciano 90 km – 1 h 15 min
• Pienza 100 km - 1 h 20 min
• Cortona 100 km - 1 h 20 min
• Pisa 150 km – 1 h 40 min
• Rome 260 km – 3 hrs
Things to do
• Belmond Castello di Casole offers a wellness and fitness center, 2 restaurants and large gardens and terraces.
• Colle Val d'Elsa. It’s not by chance that Colle Val d’Elsa is officially recognised as the city of crystal. In this small town in Tuscany with ancient roots and a modern soul, unique artefacts come to life in the hands of the glass masters, fully-fledged designers in this sector, who have made the manufacturing of crystal an art form that goes much beyond the customary precious tableware. The workshops open to the public offer the spectacle of fire shaping the crystal, an exciting experience also for younger people.
• San Gimignano is a small walled medieval hill town in the province of Siena, Tuscany, north-central Italy. It is mainly famous for its medieval architecture, especially its towers, which may be seen from several kilometers outside the town. The town also is known for the white wine, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, grown in the area.
• Volterra, or Velathri, the Etruscan name, sits atop a hill (like its inhabitants will tell you); while its strategic position for spotting approaching enemies is no longer important, today’s visitors can enjoy an incredible view that stretches nearly 40 kilometres. Fragile, but also flexible and dynamic like its famous alabaster, the town’s cultural vivacity has never waned, from the Etruscan era to today.
• Siena: The Sienese have no doubt, their town is the most beautiful in all of Tuscany, if not all of Italy. Siena has remained a Gothic city. Renaissance, one of the major influences in Florence, hardly affected the urban development of Siena. The city unfolds around the main shell-shaped square called “Il Campo.” Twice a year the famous horse race known as the “Palio” takes place here. The narrow streets are lined with old shops and small cafes, while churches and museums are real treasures of the fourteenth century.
• Greve in Chianti. A charming town with a delightful main square surrounded by porticos and pottery shops and other artisanal boutiques. On Saturdays this square hosts a weekly market and you can further enjoy the square’s ambiance over a delicious cappuccino and pastry at the Pasticceria Chianti.
• Montefioralle: A tiny hilltop hamlet of Montefioralle, worth the detour from Greve. Leave the car in the parking just outside the wall (piazza Santo Stefano) and walk the narrow cobbled streets of this small borgo that started its life as a castle. Get the camera ready for some very picturesque scenes.
• Panzano in Chianti. This picturesque town is well worth a wander and which features gorgeous views of the surrounding vineyards. Be sure to drift behind the square where you will find the old fortress and the Church of Santa Maria. The town is home to world famous butcher Dario Cecchini and his eatery, ideal for a hearty lunch. If you’re looking to do some shopping, track down Verso x Verso for custom designed leather goods. Just outside Panzano stands the beautiful 12th C parish church of San Leolino which houses precious pieces of sacred artwork.
• Badia a Passignano: The splendid monastery of Badia a Passignano takes the form of a quadrangular fortified monastic complex with corner towers. Towards the middle of the 15 C the convent was augmented by the addition of cloisters and a wall. Information regarding the year of the Badia’s foundation is unclear. In 1049 Badia passed into the Vallombrosano order, a reformed branch of the Benedictines. In 1545, the abbey became an important theological, literary and scientific study centre; the monastery chronicles report that Galileo Galilei taught mathematics here from 1587-1588. The monastery is still today occupied by the Valombrosiani monk community.
• The “Strada Chiantigiana“ (SR 222): An ancient road leading from Florence to Siena is full of spectacular scenery, historic sites and the romance of the Tuscany region of Italy. This back road runs through rolling hills overgrown with vineyards to Chianti’s small cities and towns such as Greve, Radda, and Gaiole.
• Florence: The city lies on the Arno River and is known for its history and its importance in the Middle Ages and in the Renaissance, especially for its art and architecture. A centre of medieval European trade and finance, the city is often considered the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance; in fact, it has been called the Athens of the Middle Ages. It was long under the de facto rule of the Medici family. From 1865 to 1870 the city was also the capital of the Kingdom of Italy. The historic centre of Florence continues to attract millions of tourists each year and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982.
• Hot Springs. In Tuscany there are several natural hot springs fed by volcanic water from 30 to 55 degrees Celsius. Some of them have been known from Etruscan and roman times like Calidario and Saturnia. You can add to your holiday in Tuscany a day in a thermal hot spring such as Rapolano Terme or Bagno Vignoni.
• 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.
• 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”.
