CORTE DEGLI DEI

SIENA - Siena lives around its notorious Palio, a horse racing, that takes place twice a year in the main stunning square, called Piazza del Campo. Artistic and culinary traditions live together in one of the most beautiful city of this area. You can not miss an excursion in the countryside nearby through the typical tuscany town like: Scansano, Montalcino,Pienza, and all the Chianti territory. Walking along the street inside Siena, you can find many tourist attractions: such as the Duomo and other renaissance palaces. Distances > Roma (240 km - 149 miles), Firenze (69 km - 42 miles), Pisa (114 km - 70,6 miles), Citta di Castello (123 km - 76 miles), Perugia (107 km - 66 miles), Cortona (70 km - 43,4 miles), Arezzo (63 km - 39 miles), Grosseto (75 km - 46,5 miles)

Cathedral
Piazza del Campo
Torre del Mangia
Loggia della Marcanzia
Palazzo comunale
Paintings museum (pinacoteca)
Villa Gori, Villa Chigi

TRASIMENO LAKE PARK - this Park created in 1995 is a large protected area 13.000 ha large holding in its territory the town of Castiglione del Lago Magione, Panicale, Passignano and Tuoro on Trasimeno.
The lake is one of the biggest in Italy and its shores are ideal both for bathing and for fishing.
In the Trasimeno lake there are 3 nice islands: Polvese, Maggiore and Minore. Near the lake there are several etruscan and roman ruines. From Passignano you can take the boat to reach the Polvese island. A visit to the Rocca del Leone in Castiglion del lago is a must. From its towers you can enjoy a wonderful view of the whole lake.

Rocca del Leone
Polvese and Maggiore islands
Historical town of Castiglion del lago
Roman ruins

CITTA' DI CASTELLO - dynamic and beautiful town in the north of Umbria, it is famous for the handcraft and the trapery working.
Its historical centre is rich of monuments and touristic attractions:
the Pinacoteca, the famous collection of artist Burri, the Cathedral Museum. Outside the centre there is a well equipped Thermal center (the Fonticchio spa). Just few kms from the town, in a calm, quiet position there is the Canoscio Sanctuary. Distances > Perugia (60 km - 37 miles) Todi (94 km - 58 miles), Umbertide (24 km - 15 miles), Gubbio (50 km - 31 miles), Orvieto (127 km - 78,7 miles), Arezzo (40 km - 24,8 miles), Cortona (55 km - 33 miles), Firenze (130 km - 80,6 miles), Roma (230 km - 142,6 miles)

Burri Museum
Cathedral
Fontecchio spa

TUSCANY LOWLANDS - This area spreads south of Florence and it includes three main areas: Crete Senesi and Chianti, with Siena as its main city, the Casentino area with Arezzo and the whole Maremma with Grosseto as its representative city.

Maremma - this large area is divided into the coast, the inland and the mountains. The Tyrrhenian Sea coast has unique landscapes and stunning untouched natural oasis, such as Feniglia, the Argentario Mountain, the Orbetello lagoon. The Maremma inland is rich of small historical towns and boroughs. Among the best towns: Capalbio, ith its castle, Montorgiali & Montepò castles in Scansano, Porto S.Stefano with its vineyards, Pitigliano, Sovana and its Necropolis, Sorano and Saturnia, famous all over the world for its spa.
For those who love mountains and excursions, one of the best central Italy mountains stands: Mount Amiata.
Casentino - the Eastern Tuscany area has its most important city named Arezzo, which is famous for its gold and jewels producers and the Camaldoli convent (1023).

Crete Senesi & Chianti - a large area, which Siena is the city symbol of, this is a land where arts and intense flavours perfectly coexist since ages. Visitors should definitely visit Siena and its surroundings: ASciano, Colle Val d'Elsa (the crystal town), S. Gimignano (its downtown is Unesco patrimony), S. Casciano dei Bagni and Chianciano Terme (both places are famous for their spa).

Maremma Tuscany - the coast

Capalbio is a gracious medieval town located in south Tuscany, close to the large Tyrrhenian beaches. Nature offers spectacular landscapes with green hills and virgin Mediterranean forests. Places to visit: La Rocca town, an old fifteenth Century "L" shaped building with a rook and a closed courtyard. In it, there is the famous original Giacomo Puccini piano. Around La Rocca, precisely in Sughereto di Ballantino, there are more than 2000 years' old Roman villas. For those who love nature and sea, a WWF protected oasis can be visited near the Burano lake.

Ansedonia, a town up on an majestic reef and riche of narrow streets close to the reef, is an important spot to view. "Cosa", a Roman town founded in 273 B.C., can be visited very close to the "Spacco della Strega" reef. There there are the grand Capitolum ruins, a three cellars temple, the Foro for commercial and political activities, the Basilica, the Commitium. More over, several attractions are there: the ancient S.Pancrazio and S.Biagio's towers, the grand Roman imperial age "Tagliata" villa, the port of Cosa, built between the 2nd and the 1st Century B.C.. Finally, the Settefinestre Roman villa, built in 40 B.C., is a must.

Scarlino, a small town in the Grosseto district, it boasts some interesting natural area such as the Bandite di Scarlino (an oasis with mediterranean woods) and the bay Cala Violina and Cala Martina.

Maremma Tuscany - Etruria

The so called Etruria is the inland area of the Maremma Tuscany and it is a place which has to be visited for its natural and artistic elements.

Pitigliano - This town 313 mt, on its tufa rock, shows stunning landscapes and it is surrounded by the Lente and Meleta creeks. Pitigliano underground is shocking: visitors can walk through extraordinary ancient wineries dug in the tufa rock and through more than 60 narrow medieval downtown streets. The medieval Orsini Fortress is an important and beautiful place to see. The Archeologic Civic Museum and the Sacre Art Museum are in it. In the end, the last but not the least building to visit is the Pitigliano Duomo,dedicated to S.Peter and S.Paul apostoles, with its late baroque facade end its inner parts with Eighteenth Century golden elements.

Manciano-Saturnia - The charming town of Manciano has the Aldobrandeschi Castle, with its original walls and two of the three doors. At the top of a hill, along the road to Vulci, there is the Roccaccia di Montauto, once owned by the Aldobrandeschi and the medieval Sciarpena Castle. Also Marsiliana is very interesting because of its Etruscans ruins and the Necropolis. Manciano is the famous place where visitors can relax and cure themselves with sulfurous waters in the spa. The extraordinary Gorello water falls created natural tubs which are free for everyone.

In the same area, there are several beautiful towns, such as San Quirico, Sorano and Sovana.

Maremma Tuscany - Mount Amiata

This particular low Tuscany area has lots of differences from the coast. It is a rough and wilde mountain environment but very charming at the same time. The central spot of this area is Mount Amiata (1738 mt.), a perfect winter stop for ski lovers. This mountain is also great during spring and summer for those who like excursions and trekking.
Around here, Radicofani, Piancastagnaio e Abbadia San Salvatore are three main typical towns to be visited.

CASENTINO AREA AND VALDICHIANA

In general is characterized by artistic and natural richness of its spots. A must see is the casentino Eco-museum, the National Casentinesi forests Park and the Eremo of Camaldoli, first Saint Romualdo friars seat, built in 1023.
-Arezzo, the main city of this area, is where two important Italian writers lived: Pietro Aretino and Fancesco Petrarca. Arezzo has a spectacular square, surrounded by medieval, baroque and renaissant buildings: Piazza Grande.
-Cortona, a 600 mts high osl artistic Valdichiana town,has its historical downtown showing charming features. Outside downtown there are two interesting attractions, such as the Fortezza Medicea and the Archeological Park with Etruscan walls, Mezzavia tomb, Ossaia Villa and the Roman street of Monte Maestrino and of Torreone.
-Poppi, a nice town with its famous zoo park.

In this area there are others important places to visit: Chiusi and Chianciano terme, Monte San Savino, Castelfiorentino.

All this territory is marked by the so called "Sentiero della Bonifica" a long path from Chiusi to Arezzo full of interesting glances: Chiusi lake ,Callone di Valiano, Zorès bridge ,Casa leopoldina,Chiusa dei Monaci.

THE CRETE SENESI AREA AND VAL D'ORCIA

The famous Crete Senesi lands are composed by five main comunes: Siena, Asciano, Colle Val D'Elsa, Poggibonsi, San Gimignano.
Colle Val D'Elsa shows its magnificent Palazzo Campana and Palazzo Pretorio; Poggibonsi is world wide famous for its Siena Chianti Classico production and for some monuments such as Saint Maria Assunta's Collegiata and the medieval architectonical masterpiece of Poggio Imperiale Fortress; San Gimignano, one of the most beautiful Italian boroughs, with its 100 rooks, rich of artistic treasures such as Saint Jacopo and Saint Pietro churches, the Duomo (where Benozzo Gozzoli and Taddeo di Bartolo frescoes can be seen) and the Palazzo del Popolo.In this area there is also the Nature Train (info line 0577-207413) which crosses the suggestive Siena landscapes and surroundings: it's a must!
Then Pienza, beautiful town in Val d'Orcia and Roccalbegna, San Quirico, Castiglione d'Orcia, Asciano.

CHIANTI AREA AND VAL D'ELSA - This area could be considered the heart of Tuscany, a large part of the region starting from the south of Florence to the lands around Siena. Famous for its landascpes and wines, it boasts some unique towns rich of history, monuments and italian culture: Monteriggioni, San Casciano Valdipesa, Greve in Chianti, Radda in Chianti and San Gimignano. This last town is famous for its 100 towers so it is recently called "the middle age Manatthan".

In the whole area many others borughs woth a visit: Montespertoli and Montelupo.