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Sarteano & surroundings
Sarteano & surroundings
Sarteano
The town of Sarteano, situated in one of the most beautiful areas of southern Tuscany, between the populated Val di Chiana and the wild Val d’Orcia, is dominated by the XV century castle against the green backdrop of the Monte Cetona massif. These two dominant profiles represent the key of interpretation to a rich and fascinating land: the intertwining of history and nature, in one of the few areas of this rich and populated region where it is still possible to discover unspoiled views. On the one side are the rolling wooded hills, with superb views reaching as far as the mountains of Lazio and Marche, on the other, the views over the bare and fascinating Val d’Orcia offer a surprising and stunning vision of nature; from the heights of Poggio Rotondo with its luxuriant pine woods and many grottos, one of which was home to a hermit, Fra Bonaventura, between the XVI and XVII century, to the picnic area of Le Crocette in the woods, and the locality of Pietra Porciana, once the site of a medieval fortress, now a nature reserve consisting of a magnificent beech wood (classified by the Italian Botanical Society as an important biotype) and the views from the so-called cave of the Bruco, in which a hermit stayed on his return from the Crusades. Also highly interesting, both from a natural and historical point of view, are the hermitage cells of St. Frances, where the saint stayed in 1212, and lastly Fontevetriana, on the road leading to the peak of Monte Cetona, where the visitor can enjoy a far reaching view of the lakes Trasimeno, Montepulciano and Chiusi, to the South as far as Monte Soratte and to the West the Val d’Orcia, the fortress of Radicofani and Monte Amiata. Alongside these open spaces and breath-taking views, on well-marked routes, Sarteano also offers pleasant walks close to the town, towards Boccalaciana and the Peschiera, where the visitor can retrace ancient Etruscan pathways, the so-called vie Cupe, cut into local travertine, all disseminated with caves, once Etruscan tombs. Surroundings Sarteano and Fontevetriana are just one hour’s drive from the most characteristic sites of upper Lazio, Umbria and Central-Southern Tuscany, with Rome itself only 170 km away. Pienza, San Quirico and Bagno Vignoni can be reached crossing the entire Val d’Orcia in about half an hour. Montepulciano, home to the famous Vino Nobile, can be reached via Sarteano and then Chianciano Terme along the crest separating the Val d’Orcia from the Val di Chiana. Also close by are Radicofani, with the impressive fortress of the brigand Ghino di Tacco, and San Casciano dei Bagni, where the visitor can benefit from famous spas. And only one hour’s drive away are Siena, Orvieto, Perugia and other jewels of artistic merit.
The town of Sarteano, situated in one of the most beautiful areas of southern Tuscany, between the populated Val di Chiana and the wild Val d’Orcia, is dominated by the XV century castle against the green backdrop of the Monte Cetona massif. These two dominant profiles represent the key of interpretation to a rich and fascinating land: the intertwining of history and nature, in one of the few areas of this rich and populated region where it is still possible to discover unspoiled views. On the one side are the rolling wooded hills, with superb views reaching as far as the mountains of Lazio and Marche, on the other, the views over the bare and fascinating Val d’Orcia offer a surprising and stunning vision of nature; from the heights of Poggio Rotondo with its luxuriant pine woods and many grottos, one of which was home to a hermit, Fra Bonaventura, between the XVI and XVII century, to the picnic area of Le Crocette in the woods, and the locality of Pietra Porciana, once the site of a medieval fortress, now a nature reserve consisting of a magnificent beech wood (classified by the Italian Botanical Society as an important biotype) and the views from the so-called cave of the Bruco, in which a hermit stayed on his return from the Crusades. Also highly interesting, both from a natural and historical point of view, are the hermitage cells of St. Frances, where the saint stayed in 1212, and lastly Fontevetriana, on the road leading to the peak of Monte Cetona, where the visitor can enjoy a far reaching view of the lakes Trasimeno, Montepulciano and Chiusi, to the South as far as Monte Soratte and to the West the Val d’Orcia, the fortress of Radicofani and Monte Amiata. Alongside these open spaces and breath-taking views, on well-marked routes, Sarteano also offers pleasant walks close to the town, towards Boccalaciana and the Peschiera, where the visitor can retrace ancient Etruscan pathways, the so-called vie Cupe, cut into local travertine, all disseminated with caves, once Etruscan tombs. Surroundings Sarteano and Fontevetriana are just one hour’s drive from the most characteristic sites of upper Lazio, Umbria and Central-Southern Tuscany, with Rome itself only 170 km away. Pienza, San Quirico and Bagno Vignoni can be reached crossing the entire Val d’Orcia in about half an hour. Montepulciano, home to the famous Vino Nobile, can be reached via Sarteano and then Chianciano Terme along the crest separating the Val d’Orcia from the Val di Chiana. Also close by are Radicofani, with the impressive fortress of the brigand Ghino di Tacco, and San Casciano dei Bagni, where the visitor can benefit from famous spas. And only one hour’s drive away are Siena, Orvieto, Perugia and other jewels of artistic merit.
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