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Chianciano Terme

 

Chianciano Terme - Siena's province - south of Tuscany; the town is divided into two: one part antique and the other part modern, it is very popular for it's Hot Spring Spas, one of the most important in Europe.   People come for their liver treatments, intestine,  respiratory, rheumatism , dermatitis and others.      Chianciano T. is situated on the first hills of the southern Valdichiana, the city is surrounded by archelogical excavations.  The  Museo Civico Archeologico is rich in Etruscan objects.

 

Chainciano T.  is in an ideal position to visit the Central of Italy like Siena, Perugia, Arezzo, Roma and Firenze  and historical and cutural towns like:

 

 

Cetona - Chianciano Terme - Chiusi -  Montepulciano - Pienza

- San Casciano dei Bagni - Sarteano - Sinalunga - Torrita di Siena - Trequanda

 

www.termechianciano.it

www.termesantelena.it

www.comunechianciano-terme.si.it

www.termemontepulciano.it
 

 

 

 

 

Gubbio

 

Gubbio, in the provence of Perugia, dramatically perched on a hill  and at the base of monte Ingino overlooking the ruins of its Roman theater, here in Gubbio time seems to have literally stopped in the Middle Ages.   

 

Gubbio is known as the city of the wolf.  What became of them?  According to popular tradition, the wild beast liberated by Saint Francis lived for a long time in peace with the citizenry and at the end of his days was buried just where they found a skeleton (via Savelli della Porta) during the excavations of 1872: the skeleton of a wolf.

 

Monuments and places of interest:
• Il Palazzo dei Consoli built in XIV century by the city's government, in this way it bears witness to the greatness and power that the city had gained.

 

• Il palazzo, in gothic style, is about sixty meters.  From 1901 it is the seat of the Museo Civico, where on display are the Umbrian antique archeological fiindings, a numismatic coillection and a picture-gallery.

Other places of interest:

•  Museo Diocesano

•  Museo della Chiesa S. Maria Nuova

•  la raccolta d'Arte del Convento San Francesco

•  Museo della Torre di Porta Romana

•  Teatro romano.

 

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Cortona

 

Cortona is one of the oldest cities in Tuscany and was founded by the Etruscans whose work can still be seen in the foundations of the town's massive stone walls.    It is a place of great artistic and cultural attraction not only for its Etruscan past, of which many significant tokens have remained, but also for many architectural and pictorial works of different epochs. 

The city was a major seat of power during the medieval period, able to hold its own against larger towns like Siena and Arezzo; its decline was followed the defeat by Napoli in 1409 after which it was sold to Firenze and lost its autonomy.

 

Cortona gave birth to the painters Luca Signorelli and Pietro Berrettini, known as Pietro da Cortona. 

The pictorial patrimony of Cortona is preserved in the Museo Diocesano which includes the "Annunciazione" by Beato Angelico. 

 

Cortona has a charming historic centre of winding, narrow streets and alleyways with plenty of typical food and wine shops, good shopping and many antique shops.   It also give you the impression of how it must have been in these small isolated towns in the medieval period, and you’ll realize how much history a little town can contain.   Cortona has been made famous by the book Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes.

Monuments and places of interest:
• Villa Tommasi Aliotti
• Villa Passerini
• Villa Farina
• Villa Morra di Lavriano

Churches:
• Duomo di Cortona
• Basilica di Santa Margherita
• Chiesa di Santa Maria delle Grazie al Calcinaio
• Abbazia di Farneta
• Convento delle Celle

 

 

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Cività di Bagnoregio

 

Cività di Bagnoregio - is actually two remote towns. Civita is on a hill accessible only by a long stone walkway that begins at the end of the road from neighboring Bagnoregio.  Once, Civita was the larger community and Bagnoregio the satellite.  Today, Civita has only about 14 year-round residents, so few that Civita is nicknamed "the Dead City."   Many of the buildings in Civita are being purchased by rich Italians who come here for vacation.

Civita is a charming medieval city, almost utterly untouched by the Renaissance. (The facade of the church was remodeled during the Renaissance, but the city is otherwise entirely medieval.) Despite its nickname, during the tourist season, Civita bustles with day trippers.

The long bridge into Civita is steep and it gets steeper as it rises.  This is a challenging climb for anyone not in particularly good shape.
 

Place of interest:
 

•  Romanesque Arch - At the entrance to Civita, this arch was cut by the Etruscans 2,500 years ago.
•  Renaissance Palace remains - All that remains of an old palace is the facade, the rest collapsed into the canyon from erosion of the hill Civita sits on.
•  Piazza - The town's only public phone is at the piazza, the site of donkey races on the first Sunday in June and the second Sunday of September. The columns are Etruscan.  In the evening, the piazza is the place to be, as what's left of the town socializes there.
•  Church On the piazza, this church is on the site of an Etruscan temple, and after that a Roman temple. It has a fine campanile (bell tower), altar, and crucifix.
•  Maria's Garden - Follow the main road to the far side of town to see a lovely garden with knockout canyon views. If the garden is open, Maria will greet you in a small piazza and urge you to see it.  She shows the garden to visitors for pocket change; give her a euro or two.
•  Etruscan Caves - A series of caves at the east end of town, one of which was made into a chapel, called the Chapel of the Incarcerated.



 

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Città della Pieve

 

Città della Pieve is in the province of Perugia.

 

This elegant little red brick hill town, about 500 m, dominates the Val di Chiana and near the Tuscan border south of Lake Trasimeno is the birthplace of the Renaissance painter Perugino.

 

In August the Palio of the Terzieri is a procession of figures in costume inspired by his works, several of which can be seen here.   Ephemeral flower “paintings” created on the streets on the feast day of Corpus Cristi, and a Christmas presepe with full scale figures are among the town’s seasonal attractions.
 

Important buildings:
Pocess the surrounding walls with the gate S.Agostino e S.Maria.
 

Churches:

• Cattedrale dei Santi Gervasio e Protasio

• Chiesa di Sant'Agostino

• Chiesa e Monastero di Santa Lucia

• Chiesa di San Francesco.
 

Palaces:

• Palazzo dei Priori

• Palazzo Cartoni

• Palazzo della Corgna,

• Palazzo Vescovile

• Casa Canestrelli

• Casa del Perugino.
 

Other interesting buildings and places:

• Rocca perugina,

• Vicolo Baciadonne 

• Liceo Scientifico designed by Mario Botta

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Montalcino

 

Montalcino a lovely Tuscan village with its roots in agriculture and viticulture, probably the time of the Etruscans, is located in the north west territory of Monte Amiata, at the the end of Val d'Orcia, province of Grosseto.   Montalcino has a fascinating history, a cultural identity of its own and which offers you the opportunity to explore past glories and present triumphs. 


One can see Montalcino from the valley, resting along the crest of a high ridge.  Winding upwards through the Tuscan hills, when at last one reaches the gates of Montalcino, 564 meters, above sea level, recieves a stupendous views over the surrounding valleys.

 

The name of the town derives from the latin word mons (monte) and ilex (leccio), ie "Monte dei lecci".   The first quotation was from a historical document which goes back to 814 and it refers to a church, most probably built by the monks of Abbazia di Sant'Antimo, near by.

Montalcino is an ancient fortified medieval village whose economy in the modern world is reliant on the traditions of its agricultural past – grain, olive oil and bee-keeping – and by the production of the internationally renowned wine, il Brunello di Montalcino.

At certain times of year you can participate in village festivals and even a competitive and challenging footrace around the walls.    One will need a couple of hours to visit the museum which holds paintings, sculptures and relics authenticating of its history.
 

 

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Spoletto

 

Spoleto  Discover a monastery founded by San Francesco on hilltop Monteluco.  Spoleto has shepherd's trails and panoramic high pastures of grazing sheep, through thick forests teaming with wildlife including eagles, hawks, song birds, roe deer and wild goats.

 

Ancient olive groves and past abandoned farm houses overlooks the majestic 13th-century Ponte delle Torri, once a Roman aqueduct and Spoleto's magnificent 14th-century hilltop fortress Rocca Albornoz, built during by the rule of the Papal States.

 

Spoleto was the Roman town Spoletium, colonized in 241 B.C., on the important Roman road the via Flaminia, and it is still well equipped with evidence of the Roman era.  

 

          • Spoleto's Duomo has beautiful frescoes by Fra Lippo Lippi in the apse; the painter is also buried in the church.

           • The Eroli Chapel in the rear of the church has frescoes by Pinturicchio

          • Cappella dell' Assunta, has a 15th century frescoes by Jacopo Siculo.  The Museo Dicesano is now reopened after repair of earthquake damage and is just around the corner from the duomo.  It has an interesting collection of artwork, but its best feature is the church of

          • St. Eufemia, an early twelfth century church that has been restored to something like its original design (minus nearly all the original frescoes) despite being on the receiving end of some of the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune through the centuries.  It preserves the matronei, raised galleries which was reserved for women in churches of the period. 

 

           • The Rocca Albornoz, a medieval fortress built by Cardinal Albornoz in the 14th century to exert papal control over Umbria, stands above the town.  It was used until recently as a prison, and looks like one, too.  Now it is open to the public and being converted to other uses.  

 

Via d. Ponte goes around the Rocca to the south and leads to the Ponte delle Torre, a remarkable medieval bridge over the Tessino.   There is an extensive network of footpaths and dirt roads accessible from the far end of the Ponte delle Torre where one can admire the beautiful view.

 

 

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Lago di Trasimeno

 

Lake Trasimeno
The fourth largest lake in Italy, a surfice of 128 km², just after Lake Como is ideal for visitors desiring a peaceful interlude during a busy vacation. Fishermen still catch pike, carp, tench, eel and perch on the lake and San Feliciano’s fishing museum documents that disappearing way of life.  Trasimeno’s three islands are home to various wild duck and bird species and Isola Polvese, the largest, is a nature preserve accessible by ferry from San Feliciano during the summer months.  The following towns are located on or near the lake.

 

Towns around the lakeTrasimeno:
 

• Castiglione del Lago  First occupied by the Etruscans according to the finding of tombs that came to light in this area.  A pretty walled town on the west side of the lake, Castiglione del Lago is a popular resort.  From the Palazzo della Corgna, the house of the noble family, a narrow passage leads to a castle overlooking the water which now plays hosts to musical events during the summer. A tulip festival is held here in mid April, followed by an international kite flying contest in May. 

• Passignano sul Trasimeno A lovely, old-fashioned Italian resort featuring a shady promenade along the lake and is still surrounded by the medioeval wall.  Passignano is a venue for the Trasimeno Blues festival in July, for the Palio of the Boats in late July, and a fish festa in August. A great place to find Deruta ceramics without going to Deruta, as well as gelato and good restaurants.

 

About 10 kms from Passignano su Trasimeno, rises a little town call Castel Rigone, where the most elegant renaissance building has been built in all Umbria: la chiesa della Madonna dei Miracoli.

• Il nome di Magione, che comincia ad essere menzionato a partire dal 1075, deriva dal Castello dei Cavalieri di Malta, detto appunto la Magione. La visita alla Parrocchiale e alla chiesa della Madonna delle Grazie del 1209 è bene concedersi una escursione fino agli antichi borghi medioevali di Montecolognola, da dove si gode di una vista magnifica sul Trasimeno, e di Monte Melino; dove sarà possibile visitare il castello e le opere conservate nella chiesa parrocchiale.

• Tuoro sul Trasimeno  Now part of the Colli del Trasimeno wine route, Tuoro is famous as the spot where Hannibal defeated the Romans in 217 BC.  You can hike the Hannibal trail and on summer evenings in July and August participate in a popular theater re-enacting the event.   For a visit to one of the islands, take the Tuoro ferry from the spiaggia, or beach, near the Campo del Sole sculpture garden, to Isola Maggiore where St. Francis once spent a Lenten season, and where you can still see grandmothers making Irish lace and fishermen mending their butterfly nets. Try the restaurant Sauro, or picnic along the water’s edge after an easy hike.

 

 

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Monte Amiata

 

Monte Amiata rises in the Tuscany Antiappennino between Maremma, Val d'Orcia and Val di Chiana near the regions of Umbria and Lazio.  Monte Amiata place name indicates a great extension of the territory in which we find the center being Monte Amiata, the mountainous group, surrounded by towns and villages of great historical and artistic interest.

 

The monte was once an old vulcano, now extinguished, with rocks and lakes of vulcanic origin.  The Amiata is full of fresh water, which is diverged and utilizzed by the Acquedotto del Fiora, transported its own product to the southern area of Tuscany and the western part of Lazio.  In the area are the river sources of Fiora, Orcia e Albegna.


Abbadia San Salvatore grew up around an abbey, which was founded under King Rachis in 743. The abbey's 11th century Romanesque church is built over an amazingly tranquil the 8th century church. Like the hearts of Monte Amiata's other towns, Abbadia San Salvatore's is mediaeval, a maze of winding streets and huddled buildings with tiny windows, and you never know what you'll find when you round a corner: a carved lintel, the façade of a tiny church, or perhaps a spectacular view of the countryside.

The easiest way to see Monte Amiata is to circle it; follow the signs for Piancastagnaiao, which is famed for the pretty views along its twisting streets. The next large and the most romantic town on the mountain is Santa Fiora, Seat of the Aldobrandeschi Family. ,It's a delightful medieval village, and its Pieve, Sante Flora e Lucilla, has several beautiful Della Robbia terracottas that you would never expect to find this far out in the woods.  Santa Fiora also has a small lake with loud swans and enormous fish, surrounded by a park that is also open evenings. 

 

Arcidosso, an Aldobrandeschi outpost, has an imposing fortress, and if you take the road towards Paganico you will come to the Pieve ad Lamulas, a tiny Romanesque church with knights slaying monsters on the capitals of the columns that flank the altar.   Continue towards Castel del Piano, the prettiest of Monte Amiata's towns, according to Pope Pius the II Piccolomini, and then follow the road up towards the peak.  On a clear day you can see from Elba to Abruzzo, and the meadows, Prato della Contessa and Prato delle Macinaie, are perfect spots to work on your tan. Or, you can hike one of the mountain's many marked trails, which vary from easy (the main ring around the mountain) to invigorating (to the peak).
 

Tuscany's Monte Amiata in the middle of summer: cool breezes rustling the leaves of the trees along the trails, sun drenched meadows, pretty mediaeval towns, and a host of festivals.   Who could ask for more?   In addition to being delightfully cool during the summer, Monte Amiata is busy, with fashion shows, mediaeval pageants, fairs, and Palii (similar to Siena's but on safer tracks) - there's something going on almost every day. 


 

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Val  d'Orcia

 

Val d'Orcia, or Valdorcia, is a region of Tuscany, central Italy, which extends from the hills south of Siena to Monte Amiata.  It is characterised by gentle, carefully-cultivated hills occasionally broken by gullies and by picturesque towns and villages such as Pienza (rebuilt as an “ideal town” in the 15th century under the patronage of Pope Pius II), Radicofani (home to the notorious brigand-hero Ghino di Tacco) and Montalcino (the Brunello di Montalcino is counted among the most prestigious of Italian wines). It is a landscape which has become familiar through its depiction in works of art from the Renaissance painting to the modern photograph.
 

The comunes that are part of the Val d'Orcia are: Castiglione d'Orcia, Montalcino, Pienza, Radicofani and San Quirico d'Orcia.  Other important centers are Monticchiello, Bagno Vignoni, Rocca d'Orcia, Campiglia d'Orcia and Bagni San Filippo.   Many outlet farm houses, rural houses and fortresses with unapproachable towers are lost in the isolated and tranquil landescape.

Characteristic of this area are the pencil pine trees, food and drinks typical "I Pici", the Pecorino cheese of  Pienza, Brunello red wine of Montalcino and the new denomination of Vino DOC Orcia.

 

In 2004 the Val d’Orcia was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites under these criteria:

Criterion (iv): The Val d’Orcia is an exceptional reflection of the way the landscape was re-written in Renaissance times to reflect the ideals of good governance and to create an aesthetically pleasing pictures.
Criterion (vi): The landscape of the Val d’Orcia was celebrated by painters from the Siennese School, which flourished during the Renaissance. Images of the Val d’Orcia, and particularly depictions of landscapes where people are depicted as living in harmony with nature, have come to be seen as icons of the Renaissance and have profoundly influenced the development of landscape thinking.
 

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Radiocofani

 

La Rocca di Radicofani sits on a hill, 896 meters, between the rivers Paglia and Rigois. A municipality in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located in the natural park of Valdorcia about 110 km southeast of Florence, about 60 km southeast of Siena and only 28 km from Chianciano Terme.
 

Radicofani borders the following municipalities: Abbadia San Salvatore, Castiglione d'Orcia, Pienza, San Casciano dei Bagni, Sarteano.

Main sights:
The main landmark of Radicofani is its Rocca (Castle), of Carolingian origin and documented from 978.  It was the castle of Ghino di Tacco. Occupying the highest point of a hill, at 896 m, it was restored after the conquest from the Grand Duchy of Tuscany (1560-1567).   It has two line of walls: the external one has pentagonal shape, while the inner one is triangular, with three ruined towers at each corner and a cassero (donjon) which can be visited.

 

Churches:


• Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta a Contignano
• Chiesa di San Pietro
• Chiesa di Sant'Agata

• Bosco Isabella

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Volterra

 

 Volterra is in the Provence of Pisa.   The town is of the legendary Etruscans and the snow-white alabaster.    Explore through lane and alleyways and peaceful little squares.

 

Places of interest:

 

•  Roman theatre and the adjacent thermal baths. 

 

•  Arco Etrusco, Etruscan arch, the 2300-year-old Etruscan gateway, that dates back to the V century BC, and was part of the Etruscan walls.   It has survived until our day because it was included in the medieval walls built around the XIII century.

•  Piazza dei Priori, heart of the town, it represents one of the most harmonious and scenic medieval squares of Tuscany, flanked by the, Palazzo dei Prior, town hall, and the Duomo. 

 

•  Palazzo dei Prior built in the 13th C, it is one of the most ancient "Palazzo Comunale" of Tuscany, enriched by elegant two-light windows, numerous coats of arms and maiolicas belonging to Florentine families.  Palazzo dei Priori is surmounted by a nice tower with turrets. This palace made up of several buidings and modified in the 19th century was origianally the seat of the podestà and the captain of the people. The tower considered to be one of the first towers built in Volterra is traditionally known as the Tower of the Little Pig for at the top of the tower there is a stone animal poised on a shelf.

 

•  Duomo -  Romanesque building,12th C, characterised by a nice portal, big rose window and is richly decorated, 3 nave interior, several works of art: the  "Deposizione", The Deposition, a notable ligneous sculpture, a marmoreous ciborium by Mino da Fiesole dating back to 1471 and "Annunciazione" by Bartolomeo della Porta.  Inside a chapel "Natività" and "Adorazione", 2 painted terracottas attributed to Andrea della Robbia. On the left is the fresco "Cavalcata dei Magi" by Benozzo Gozzoli, 1479.  It preserves also other works by Taddeo di Bartolo, Antonio Vanni, Neri di Bicci, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Luca Signorelli.

 

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Todi

 

Todi in the province of Perugia, founded by the Umbrians.  Perched on top of a hill, which the summit is just over 400 meters, running along side the Tevere valley.   It has fascination and the umbrian city goes back to the time of the etruscan and the birth-place of Jacopone da Todi.

 

The historical center winds it way through alleys and the square of this ancient town still conserve its medieval charm.


Monuments and places of interest:


• Historical center,  cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta, la chiesa di San Fortunato and il convento di San Giovanni Battista. Outside the wall is the famous renaissance church, Santa Maria della Consolazione.

• In the cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta, there is a painting by Ferraù da Faenza, from the isperation of Michelangelo, called the Universal Judgement.   In the cript there is a museum.

• In the cript of the church of San Fortunato there is a tomb of the four saints (among which is San Cassiano) and on the wall an oval image of Jacopone da Todi.

• Interest sake, is the Rocca, 411 m s.l.m. the most elevated point of the city.  La rocca was built by the will of the pope Gregorio IX in 1373.

•  un torrione rotondo
•  "il Mastio"
•   resti di fortificazione.

Other monuments:  

• il museo civico
• Piazza del Popolo:
• il Palazzo del Popolo,
• il Palazzo del Capitano,
• l Palazzo dei Priori,
• il Palazzo Vescovile
 

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Cetona
 

Cetona - Siena municipality -  had it's beginning at the slope of the hill bearing the same name, Cetona presents a tipical medievale town planning; gracious in it's alleys and small winding roads, with arches and squares, that developes into a spiral around the hills that ends about the proximity of the Rocca, where it dominates and control all the inhabitants.   The first impact of the town is the spacious and beautiful square of Garibaldi, built by Chiappino Vitelli in 1559; from here, passing the Torre del Rivellino, one can go down to the very beautiful and orderly historical centre.  

 

It is compulsary to visit the Collegiata church (13th century) and the Museo Civico for the Prehistory of Monte Cetona, following the modern didactic criteria, that covers from the period of Palaeolithic to the Bronze Age.     

 

Also, whoever  wants to have more information may visit the Parco Archeologico Naturalistico of Belverde, it is open to the pubblic, there is more prehistorical sites in the caves and in the open, here is where some of the materials were taken to be displayed in the Museum.  

 

 

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