Archivi per la categoria ‘Places’

Banfi Castle, Brunello wine producers

In the splendid setting of Montalcino countryside, walking on breathtaking panoramic white lines snaking through vineyards, olive groves, castles and ancient isolated farms… here you are a really unforgettable road that you can do with your favourite means: walking, by bike, horseriding or simply by car… HIGHLY SUGGESTED!!!

If you stop at the beautiful Banfi Castle, Poggio alle Mura, you can stop at the wine shop, drink something, visit the Museum of Brunello, and (only if you have booked some days before!!!) visit the cantines. For more information visit the website of Banfi Castle.  In the Banfi property there are also an osteria (not an economic one:-)) and a very beautiful, chic and expensive restaurant, which is in restoration at the moment.

Castello Banfi

+39-0577-877700

borgo@castellobanfi.it

Another highly suggested stop: Sant’Angelo in Colle, a small pictoresque medieval village with breathtaking panoramas and an hosteria that I always suggest: Trattoria il Pozzo!!! It has a beautiful dehors in the medieval little square of the village…it is very nice to sit down and feel like in an open living-room.

A walk through the vineyards, Tavernelle - Poggio alle Mura - Sant'Antimo - Montalcino

Radicofani Fortress, Radicofani, Orcia Valley (Siena)

I appreciated very much the visit of Radicofani Fortress! The fortress is located on the top of an high hill, a very panoramic place that you reach after walking ca. 20 minutes up to the fortress.

The fortress is very fascinating and its long history too as it is also famous because it was occupied for two times by the famous robber Ghino di Tacco, the italian Robin Hood.

If you go to the Radicofani Fortress, I suggest you also to stop for luch in the village of Radicofani in the restaurant La Grotta (better to book, specially on sunday and week-ends: it is always full).  It is a great restaurant, where siennese people enjoy to go, as it is not expensive at all and the food is great. When I went there with my husband and my husband’s grandfather, we tasted a mix of first plates and second plates and the experience was fantastic!

Ristorante La Grotta

Piazza Sant’Agata, 2

53040 Radicofani (Siena)

Ph. 0039 0578 55866‎

the medieval towers of San Gimignano

The first time I went to San Gimignano it was december and very cold.. my first impression was very strong: I was simply astonished, I had really never seen such a magical place (one more!:-))

I had never seen such an ancient place, so perfectly preserved, surrounded by a landscape so perfect, magical, untouched! I was used to see beautiful alleys, wonderful houses, splendid monuments, but then I had to isolate those beautiful pearls of art and history from their contest which was too often ruined by building speculation, cement jungles, horrible palaces and houses: I simply say…this doesn’t happen here. You arrive in the Siena territory and you won’t believe an area can be so beautiful and so perfectly maintained. And about San Gimignano: the snakering stone roads, the buildings, the  towers, the atmosphere, so planty of beauty everywhere! It is fantastic and seems impossible to be true…

Unfortunately, if you are born in a big city, it is so easy to think that beauty can’t happen and things must be in any case polluted, ruined and that this is the reality and that the perfect beauty is only for dreams.

The Siena territory is there to show that this is not true and that a territory can be absolutely perfect, splendid, fantastic. And that this is possible exactly like asphalt, cement and again asphalt and cement in everywhere..

I think, it is absolutely clear that I suggest you to visit San Gimignano:-) only one problem:  everything is very expensive:

after that first time, I spent a lot of days in San Gimignano because I worked there some time..and for a coffee and sandwich I spent really too much, something like 9 euros!! (this happened in the café in the main square)

In San Gimignano I had a very good experience with ice cream: Giorgio and I had a very good one in Piazza della Cisterna and sit down on the steps of the square to savour its wonderful taste:

Gelateria di Piazza

Piazza della Cisterna

San Gimignano (Siena)

web site

San Gimignano is also too crowdy in weekends and summer days so I suggest you to visit it during week days and not only in july/august

Bagno Vignoni, San Quirico d'Orcia (Orcia Valley)Bagno Vignoni

I think, that Bagno Vignoni is “must” for every lover of Tuscan.

It is very very small, maybe a pair of roads and a square… but, in any case, it’s a very interesting village mainly because of its main square made of thermal water. Now you can’t bath in it anymore but in medieval times it used to be the favourite site of popes and important people like saint Caterina of Siena (the “vips” of medieval times:-))

Nowadays you can take a thermal bath in a swimming pool with thermal water by Hotel La Posta. You can spend even the whole day in the swimming pool: it has both outdoor and indoor spaces. The swimming pool offers its guests a beautiful view overlooking the valley on the Orcia river and  of  Rocca d’Orcia.

Check on the hotel’s website as the swimming pool is not always opened: only from spring to autumn.

Price for a whole day (last year 2009): 14 euro/per person

I suggest this kind of bath especially in spring and autumn, when it’s very pleasant to bath in warm water! A relaxing bath in the swimming pool surrounded by the magnificient nature of our countryside is what you need to forget stress

Swimming pool by Hotel La Posta

Bagno Vignoni

San Quirico d’Orcia, Siena

web site

Piazza del Campo, Siena

Of course, I don’t know all the squares of the world … so I cannot tell, that Piazza del Campo is the most beautiful square of the world. Moreover, I am from Turin and I can say without trouble, that also in Turin there are beautiful, splendid squares: Piazza Castello, Piazza San Carlo etc..

For this reason, I will simply tell that I think that Piazza del Campo in Siena is the most beautiful medieval square of the world: it is simply wonderful the  shape of shell, you can sit down on the ground and feel to be in an open living room (this is because of the shape of course, it is like a theatre).

If you’re planning to go to Tuscany, you simply can’t miss Piazza del Campo in Siena. I suggest you to go to Piazza del Campo in the late afternoon, to read a newspaper on the ground and then wait for the dark : you won’t forget the magic atmosphere, the colours, the lights, the medieval palaces all around you!

If you don’t want to sit down on the ground, do not hesitate to pay something more for a coffee in one of the cafés of Piazza del Campo: this spectacle deserves your money!

If you go to Pienza, I suggest you also to go to Monticchiello (municipality of Pienza): it is at around half an hour from Pienza and the road is worth doing, because of the beautiful panoramas and for Monticchiello itself.

It is a little medieval town on a hill: from here you can see a beautiful panorama and Pienza in front of you.. it’s simply beautiful and a walk in the little village is pleasant and relaxing. You can also stop at the café next to the entrance: I’ve not yet been there but someone told me it’s very nice and you can admire a wonderful panorama from the terrace!

Monticchiello is famous both for the Teatro Povero : if you wish to spend a different evening, look for the calendar on their website, maybe you will find a right date for you.

Pienza, Siena territory

When I first went to Pienza, it was winter and a terrific wind blowed along the roads.. so I couln’t deeply appreciate the beauty of the place.

The second time, it was spring.. and I found it one of the most interesting places to visit in the south of Tuscany, both because of the archistecture of the place and because of the splendid countryside around it!

I suggest a walk in this beautiful town.

The Pecorino Cheese is typical of Pienza.  The place where I always buy it, are two shops with a lot of kinds of Pecorino cheese, between Pienza and Montepulciano:

Fattoria Buca Nuova
Via Primo Maggio, 4
53026 Pienza (SI)
Telefono + 39 0578 748350

Fattoria Buca Nuova
Strada per Pienza, 34
53045 Montepulciano (SI)
Telefono +39 0578 758338

The website is the following: www.fattoriabucanuova.it but unfortunately, it is only in Italian.

I find also the same products by Coop Buonconvento but there is not all the variety.

murlo

I think that the territory of Murlo is simply the most beautiful in Tuscany  and that a walk in the medieval Castle of Murlo is obliged.

The Castle of Murlo  is really small and pictoresque: you can do a walk in its pictoresque roads, visit the Museo Etrusco and have a lunch or dinner at the Pizzeria dell’Arco, it is really a pleasant place, not too expensive with good food.  If you’re planning to go there, I  suggest you to book a table outside in the terrace or not to go..

After lunch you can do a walk around the castle walls …

A magnific territory and a pictoresque village!

Monte Oliveto Abbey, Le Crete senesi

Tour of the Crete + Abbazia di Monte Oliveto

a tour with beautiful views (from Buonconvento,

pasing through Asciano,

to Siena) with the deviation for the Abbey of Monte Oliveto

(and guided tour of the abbey with peintings of the Sodoma)

and a stop for lunch in Chiusure

by the very little and typical Trattoria Paradiso

Type of tour: driving tour

Monte Oliveto Abbey

Best period: spring

Interesting points:

driving tour -landscapes

Monte Oliveto Maggiore:

peinture, religious point,

shopping, cantine tour,

restaurant

Chiusure: pictoresque bourg,

osteria

Sant'Antimo Abbey, Montalcino (Siena territory)

Yesterday we went to visit Sant’Antimo Abbey: it is a beautiful romanic abbey of high historical and artistical value, wll known for the monchs’ gregorian chants.

I found the visit really interesting and the place itself is really beautiful! I strongly suggest a visit and afterwards, a walk in the nice medieval village of Castelnuovo dell’Abate.

Sant'Antimo Abbey, Montalcino (Siena territory)

Visit the website of Sant’Antimo Abbey: there is a lot of material

both in Italian and in English:

www.antimo.it