WHAT TO VISIT IN CRETE SENESI?

An Itinerary from Siena to Asciano

The area south-east of Siena is called Crete Senesi. The word crete is used to indicate clay which gives the typical grey colour of the landscape. In this part of Tuscany you don't see many vineyards and olive trees, but cultivated fields crossed occasionally by rows of cypress trees and every so often a a solitary farmhouse . Here and there you can observe particular dry grey terrain forms of badlands, typical of this area. The way from Siena to Asciano is very beautiful and you can enjoy the typical landscape at every curve of the road.Inserisci qui il tuo testo...

To best enjoy this area, I suggest you that you visit the landscape art Site Transitoire by French artist Jean-Paul Philippe. When you leave Siena, take the SS438 road and about 4 kilometres after Arbia turn in the direction of Leonina. After another 2 km, you will find the Castle of Leonina, which is home to a luxury hotel. On the righthand side you will see some houses and a groove of olive trees, this is where you can leave your car and go ahead on foot. Follow the curve in the road over a slight hill and you arrive at the sculpture. Sitting on the stone throne you can enjoy the silence of the landscape and see the view up to Siena.

What to see and do in Asciano

Asciano has a very pleasant small historical center partly surrounded by medieval stone walls and it is the main village at the heart of the Crete area. Corso Giacomo Matteotti is the main street that crosses through the center. At the upper end of this street, you find the main church Sant'Agata, with a simple gray stone structure standing on the top of a staircase, preserving among other things two nice 16th century frescoes.

Still on the main street, you will find two excellent restaurants for a lunch break, one is Amor Divino next to the interesting city museum of sacred art and archaeology. This restaurant offers the famous Florentine steak cooked on an open fire in the middle of the dining room. The other isLa Mencia in the middle of the village with a big dining room and an outside terrace in the summer, serving deliciously cooked traditional Tuscan dishes.

If you happen to visit Asciano in September, remember that the second Sunday of the monthyou can assist a popular event called "Palio dei Ciuchi", a race where the seven contradas of the village compete with donkeys in the old city stadium. You can read about that and other September events here.

Discover the artistic and archaeological treasures

At the lower end of the main street you find the Etruscan and Sacred Art Museum in a recently restored Palazzo Corboli, one of the main attractions of the town. I highly recommend visiting this museum if you are interested in archaeology, Etruscan and medieval art, since this small collection houses an excellent selection of attractive pieces of artwork. The building itself, which belonged to a noble family of Siena, conserves some interesting allegorical frescoes from the 14th century. In the art collection you can admire some masterpieces of the Sienese school paintings and sculptures from the 13th century onwards, originally commissioned for the churches of the village. The archaeological section shows the findings of some nearby Etruscan burial mounds, like urns, jewelry, coins and other objects.

Museum of Etruscan and Sacred Art

Palazzo Corboli - Corso Giacomo Matteotti, 122 - Asciano Siena
Tel +39 0577 719524

ou can read more about Asciano and what to do, including a list of upcoming events, on the city of Asciano's website.

From Asciano it is easy to continue your itinerary in the Crete area for example in the direction of the facinating Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore, at 10 kilometres distance from here oin the direction of Serre di Rapolano, another quaint village in the south of Tuscany which merits a stop

Natural Hot Springs in Tuscany

Tuscany has many natural hot springs across its territory, from the Lunigiana up north to the Val d'Orcia in the south. While many hot springs are now part of enclosed spa centers, you have many choices as to places where to relax and pamper yourself, truly enjoying a relaxing holiday any time of the year!

There are several very popular - and beautiful - outdoor hot springs remaining in Tuscany which can offer a unique experience of Tuscany. But if you are not in the immediate area of those and want to enjoy some "warm waters", just take a look at road signs near you and ask at the local tourism office - most places with "terme" in their name mean there are "thermal waters" nearby!

enjoy A Relaxing Day In Rapolano Terme

 Only 20 kilometres east of Siena city itself, tourists would thoroughly enjoy a day trip out here to relax in its famous thermal pools.
Rapolano Terme lies on the border between Val di Chiana and the wine producing region of Chianti so you have plenty to explore on your visit to this area.
!Relax and reinvigorate the senses by bathing in the hot mineral rich waters of Rapolano Terme; well known for their healing properties of arthritis, asthma and other ailments. There are many hot and cool pools here, located both outdoors and indoors.
Rapolano is indeed a pleasurable spa town where you can treat yourselves to a whole range of relaxing treatments such as massage, mud baths, facials and much more. Lie back in a deliciously warm thermal pool outdoors, sipping a crisp cold glass of Prosecco as you watch the sun set over this magical place.
There are many exciting festivals and fairs that take place in Rapolano throughout the year such as the Festival of the Crete Senesi, a collection of unusual grey clay formations that lies across the surrounding Sienese landscape nearby. Tourists would thoroughly enjoy learning more about this fascinating area and can read more about it in our related article.Visitors can enjoy walking around several of the interesting markets and fairs held in Rapolano in early September where a delicious range of local Slow Food products and home-made crafts are on sale.
Those with an interest in history would thoroughly love a stroll around the ancient Roman site just west of the town where archaeologists are still excavating what is believed to be an 8,000 square metre sized building complex. Some walls remain standing above ground level but many more treasures are just waiting to be discovered!
Cool off for an hour in the cool shade of the Church of San Lorenzo in Rapolano Terme town centre where you can admire the lovely collection of sculptures and artworks on display here. This gorgeous spa town has so much to offer you for a day or two so why not make your plans to come here soon!

Valdichiana Outlet Village near Arezzo in Tuscany

www.intuscany.net/guides/shopping.../valdichiana-outlet-village

Great fashion labels and also entertainment, performances, important feasts and events all take place at the Valdichiana Outlet Village at a fast pace. There are over 4 million visitors per year from the neighbouring provinces and regions. The visitors choose the Village situated in Foiano for a unique "shopping experience" ... 

Visit Montalcino

The attractive hill town of Montalcino is one of several interesting medieval towns and villages in the Val d'Orcia to the south of the picturesque Crete Senesi region of central Tuscany and south of Siena and one of the most popular destinations with visitors to the region.

The village is also well know for the Brunello of Montalcino wine produced on the surrounding hills.

Exploring Montalcino

Historic Montalcino is still surrounded by its original defensive walls, some of them dating from the 13th century. There are three entrances through these walls that remain from mediaval times: the Porta Murelli to the north, Porta Castellana to the east and Porta Cervara to the south. If you have arrived by car you are likely to enter through Porta Cervara.

In an case, you won't go far wrong when exploring Montalcino: it is more or less a single street that leads through the village with the fortress at one end, and just a few side streets along the way.

The principal pleasure of a visit comes from simply strolling along taking in the ambiance or stopping for a coffee in one of the many cafes, but there are also several monuments of interest that you will discover as you are exploring.

One of these monuments is a substantial and very sturdy 14th century fortress, pentagon in shape and on the southern edge of Montalcino on the highest part of the ridge from where it dominates the town and surveys the surroundings as it has for more than 700 years. Apparently the castle was never successfully defeated.

The castle is largely now just a ring of walls: these external walls of the castle incorporate the original defensive walls of the town and a large keep, and you can pay a small charge to walk around the castle walls for lovely views across the Montalcino rooftops. There are also very far-reaching views from the area next to the fortress.

The main street through the town is called Via Matteotti to the south and Via Mazzini to the north and includes various interesting houses and numerous wine shops, cafes and restaurants. In the centre of this street you reach Piazza del Popolo, the heart of the old town. The highlight is the Palazzo Communale with its 13th century tower dominating views across the town and decorated with the coats of arms of the original ruling families - you can't miss it, it is very tall and in the middle of the road!

On the same square you can take a look at a Renaissance period double-levelled loggia, and this is also the nicest place to stop for your morning cappucino or afternoon ice-cream.

Among the most interesting religious monuments in Montalcino are the 14th century church and monastery of Saint Augustine (Sant'Agostino) on Piazza Garibaldi which contains some frescoes from that period. We also recommend you take a look in the Riuniti Museum here, in particular to see the 15th century wooden and terracotta sculptures.

Other churches include the renaissance period Santuario della Madonna del Soccorso near Piazza Cavour at the other end of the town, and the church and medieval hospital and cloisters of San Francesco to the east, near the Porta Castellana entrance to the town. The San Francesco complex is a short walk out of the town centre and was actually rather disappointing to visit, currently being used as a medical centre.

Close to the San Francesco hospital you can also see the traditional wash-house, the Fonte Castellane, that would have been centre of village life in the middle ages.

Brunello of Montalcino wines

The views from the town extend over the vineyards of the region, best known for the Brunello wine they produce which is one of the most sought after red wines in Italy. The fame of this wine is reflected in its price: it is hard to find a bottle of Brunello of Montalcino wine for less than 30 euros

Our commitment to exploring and the fact that the wine is so famous meant we treated ourselves to a bottle (we rarely pay more than 5 euros a bottle for wine so this was a very rare treat!) but have to say we weren't convinced it was worth so much...either we just don't appreciate fine wine, which is certainly possible, or we are spoiled because we live close to Bordeaux and Saint Emilion in France, which also produce exceptional wines. Feel free to judge for yourself when you visit...

Attractions nearby

A particular highlight close to Montalcino is a visit to the Abbey of Sant'Antimo, a few kilometres to the south of the town at Castelnuove dell'Abate and in a picturesque countryside setting.

Abbey of Sant'Antimo

Still in use as a Benedictine monastery, the 12th century roman style abbey church is the highlight of your visit to the monastery.

The church itself is of a simple design typical of that era, with a semi-circular apse and a tower with small arches inset in larger blind arches. The simple lines of the interior of the Sant'Antimo Abbey church, with the white stone and sturdy columns, also give it a great deal of charm.

As well as the church itself, the capital stones (stones at the top of the columns) and frescoes that decorate the interior are also very interesting - several of the frescoes in particular are of very good quality and condition, and the capital stones represent Biblical characters as well as the more commone leaves and plants.

Elsewhere in the surrounding Crete Senesi region the villages of Chianciano, Montepulciano and Pienza(all to the east of Montalcino) are also all very pleasant to visit: Montepulciano and Pienza are among our favourite towns in Tuscany.

Come To The Beautiful Tranquil Town Of Trequanda!

 why not take a day to explore the beautiful hilltop town of Trequanda in Tuscany. It earned the prestigious Orange Flag Award for its terracotta coloured town, splendid architectural features and a lovely range of well organised tourist sites to visit. Visitors have plenty of luxury villas and other holiday rentals available for them to enjoy a peaceful stay in the Trequanda area.
Why not begin the day with a tour of the ruins of Cacciaconti castle with its unusual cylindrical tower of black and white monochrome style blocks. Sadly only the towers and surrounding walls remain of what was once a glorious fortress.
Art lovers would enjoy a stroll around the church of Saints Peter and Andrew which houses splendid frescoes by Sodoma, a 15th century altarpiece by Giovanni di Paolo and a terracotta statue of 'Madonna with Infant' by Sansovino. The territory of Trequanda town encases the villages of Petroio and Castelmuzio. They would be excellent spots to bring a picnic lunch and savour a fine selection of local breads, cheeses, and smoked sausages, washed down with a sweet bottle of wine perhaps?The town of Petroio is orange, no matter where you look as it's made almost entirely of terracotta brick! It even has a museum of Terracotta to explain why, which is sure to amuse tourists! Also here is the decorative church of Saints Peter and Paul which has a stunning painting of 'The Annunciation' by Rutilio Manetti and a canvas of 'Madonna and Infant' by Taddeo di Bortolo.
Castelmuzio village, only a few minutes' walk away is of Etruscan origin and is close to the famous Via Francigena, the pilgrim's path to Rome. Visitors would love a stroll around its museum of Sacred Art which contains an unusual Etruscan cinerary urn and other interesting church artefacts.There are magnificent views to be seen from this tiny village built on the crest of a hill. One can see spectacular views of Val di Chiana across to the Crete Senesi!
If you enjoy hiking then take part in 'The Nature Train', a walking trail that is held every Sunday between May to October which takes visitors on a scenic path through some of the most beautiful sites in the Siena province of Tuscany.
This peaceful town of Trequanda is certainly the perfect getaway for tourists who want to escape the noise and fast movement of modern life!