ITALIA TOUR

HINTERLAND

The beaty of our Tuscan hinterland is due to the contrast of the landscapes in areas such as the Val dElsa, the Volterrano, the Chianti and the Amiata. Among the hills of the Val dElsa the most typical villages are: Certaldo and San Gimignano. Its beautiful towers are: the Torre Rognosa (51 m), the Torre Chigi (1280)and the Salvucci twin towers.i.

The landscape near Volterra is characterised by arid cliffs and sandy slopes. Volterra, medieval town, offers architectonic beauties as the Palazzo dei Priori (1208), the famous Fortezza enlarged by Lorenzo il Magnifico and the Etruscan Porta dell'Arco. Towards Siena you can spot the Chianti area. At the foot of the Torre del Mangia (1325-48) you can find the Cappella di Piazza in the shape of a marmorean loggia. We advise you to walk through Via di Citt, a medieval street in the historical centre, where you will find very elegant shops and aristocratic palaces of XIII century. The Cathedral's square is one of the most famous monuments of the Italian Romanesque- Gothic architecture. Monte Amiata offers us a real surprise in the Tuscan hinterland. It's a very old volcano and around it there are several mountains from which you can enjoy the view to the spectacular hills of Siena to the north and to the sunny cost of Maremma to the west. The place is full of rivers with a large forest of beeches and chestnut-trees, where you can have wonderful walks through signaled pathways. You can go on excursions to well known medieval cities, ancient villages, abbeys and castles, together with Etruscan necropolis, sources of hot water, with the Parko Faunistic and the Mining Museum. Just some places: Abbadia San Salvatore, Castel del Piano, S. Fiora, Pienza, Montalcino, Sovana, Saturnia, and many more are well worth visiting. The local traditional cooking is well worth sampling.