visit Tuscany

Siena
Try the traditional cake and biscuits in Piazza Del campo 

Siena, in English also widely spelled Sienna, is a city in Tuscany. The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. Famous for its cuisine, art, museums, medieval cityscape and the Palio, a horse race held twice yearly, Siena is one of the nation's most visited tourist attractions. Like other Tuscan hill towns, was first settled in the time of the Etruscans (900–400 BC) when it was inhabited by a tribe called the Saina. The Etruscans were an advanced people well known for their custom of building their settlements in well-defended hill-forts. Infact Siena was built on three hills and surrounded by well preserved walls, is filled with fine examples of Gothic architecture and has one of the world's most unique piazzas, Piazza del Campo, shaped like a shell with scalloped edges at the centre of the city that you can access accessible only by foot. A must seen town when you come visit Italy!

---

95km (1h) from La Rustica directions

Florence
Visit the world capital of art at few steps from you

Firenze, capital city of Tuscany, it is certainly the most visited city of Italy by far and has been celebrated by many as the most beautiful city in Italy. Today, you can’t turn a corner in Florence without finding a famous church. The pinnacle of Brunelleschi's stupendous cathedral dome dominates the cityscape, and the close-up view is even more breathtaking, with the multicoloured Duomo rising beside the marble-clad Baptistry. Wander from here down towards the River Arno and the attraction still holds: beyond the broad Piazza della Signoria, site of the towering Palazzo Vecchio, the river is spanned by the medieval, shop-lined Ponte Vecchio, with the gorgeous church of San Miniato al Monte. Lounging on the River Arno the city of Florence is known for its history and its importance in the Middle Ages and in the Renaissance, especially for its art and architecture and, more generally, for its cultural heritage; it has been called the Athens of the Middle Ages.

---

80km (50min) from La Rustica: directions

San Gimignano 
One of the most beautiful village in Italy

San Gimignano is a small walled medieval hill town in the province of Siena, Tuscany. It is mainly famous for its medieval architecture, especially its towers, which may be seen from several kilometres outside the town. Recently declared by UNESCO to be part of the World’s Architectural Heritge San Gimignano is a tourist magnet. Founded as a small village in the 3rd century BC by the Etruscans the city owes its name to bishop of Modena Saint Geminianus who had defended it from Attila's Huns in the 10th century. It is one of the most popular towns in Italy, and there’s good reason for such popularity. The towers, which once numbered 72, were symbols of the power and wealth of the city’s medieval families. San Gimignano delle Belle Torri (meaning ‘of the Fine Towers’ – though they’re actually almost devoid of design and rather dull unless sheer height impresses you) is surrounded by lush, productive land and the setting is altogether enchanting. Come in winter or early spring to indulge your imagination a little; in summer you’ll spend your time dodging fellow visitors. Even then, though, you’ll discover a different, almost peaceful San Gimignano!

---

123km (1:30h) from La Rustica: directions

Cortona
One of the oldest hill towns in Tuscany

Cortona is a town in the province of Arezzo, in Tuscany considered the main cultural and artistic center of the Val di Chiana after Arezzo. Cortona has truly punched above its artistic weight; it spawned (among others) the great pre-Michelangelo painter Luca Signorelli and the early-17th-century painter/architect Pietro da Cortona. Originally an Umbrian city, it was conquered and enlarged by the Etruscans, who called it Curtun: it is hard to imagine that this tiny, impossibly hilly town once rivaled mighty Firenze for Tuscan dominance. Tourist come here during the whole year for the twisty, steep medieval cut-stone staircases and the breathtaking scenery, and because most streets end with a steep drop over the gorgeous green Chiana Valley stretch south to Umbria's Lake Trasimeno, terraced olive groves, panoramic views are a dime a dozen. A full week of merriment in May or June (the date varies to coincide with Ascension Day) culminates in the Giostra dell’Archidado, a crossbow competition first held in the Middle Ages. You will not forget it easily!

---

35km (40min) from La Rustica: directions

Assisi
The world most famous Franciscan complex

Assisi (from Latin: Asisium) is in the spiritual capital of Umbria, a town more tied to its most famous son than anywhere else on earth: St Francis of Assisi. Around 1000 BC a wave of immigrants settled in the upper Tiber valley as far as the Adriatic Sea, and also in the neighbourhood of Assisi. From 450 BC these settlements were gradually taken over by the Etruscans until the Romans took control of central Italy by the Battle of Sentinum in 295 BC. The Franciscan monastery (Sacro Convento) and the Lower and Upper Basilicas (Basilica inferiore e superiore) of Francis of Assisi were begun in honor of this local saint. As the birthplace of St Francis, it has been attracting pilgrims for nearly a millennium and is thus well-adjusted to its role as a tourist destination. Assisi remains filled with a lot of long, pretty streets and a heck of a lot of churches. It's a relatively small town that can be seen in a daytrip, but it is also unhurried and elegant. To visit Assisi now is to see it almost as Francis himself saw it, in the same tranquillity as you!

---

109km (1:30h) from La Rustica: directions

Perugia e Trasimeno
The Italian capital of chocolate and Jazz 

Perugia is the capital city of Umbria, near the Tiber River. The city symbol is the Griffin, which can be seen in the form of plaques and statues on buildings around the city. Perugia is a notable artistic center of Italy. The famous painter Pietro Vannucci, nicknamed Perugino, was a native of Perugia. He decorated the local Sala del Cambio with a beautiful series of frescoes. Unknown to many, Perugino was the teacher of Raphael, the great Renaissance artist who produced five paintings in Perugia (today no longer in the city) and one fresco. The city has an excellent art gallery and lovely Duomo, plus the usual round of incredible panoramic views from ancient city walls. Indeed, Perugia is one of Italy best preserved medieval hill town, known also as a lively student’s town with a stream of cultural events: it claims to fame wholly unrelated to the Renaissance of chocolate and jazz. This rich artistic and cultural patrimony and the natural environment make Perugia a unique city of major importance, since its origins. Not far from Perugia there’s Trasimeno Lake, the biggest lake of central Italy. A great spot if you love sailing boat!

---

98km (45min) from La Rustica: directions

Montepulciano
The hill town famous for its Nobile wine

Montepulciano is a medieval and Renaissance hill town in the province of Siena in southern Tuscany, in Italy. The name of Montepulciano derives from Latin Mons and Publicianus ("Mount of Publicianus"). According to legend, it was founded by the Etruscan King Porsenna of Chiusi; recent findings prove that a settlement was already in existence in the 3rd/4th centuries BC. Montepulciano is known world-wide for its fabulous wine, wine connoisseurs consider its amazing Vino Nobile di Montepulciano among Italy's best. However, the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano should not be confused with the varietal wine (Montepulciano grape) of the same name. What is Noble is Noble they say! What make Montepulciano so special and attractive? Imagine sitting on a medieval wall facing the typical unmistakable red fields of Siena region during a sunset in summer tasting a glass of Vino Nobile. Now add an exquisite pork dry sausage, some cheese and honey, or a plate of "pici" with boar sauce (a thick, rough, chewy variant on spaghetti) or lentils. Does it make your mouth watering? Now you know why it is so special!

---

58km (1h) from La Rustica: directions

Pienza
The home town of Pope Pio

Pienza, a town in the Val d'Orcia in Tuscany, between the towns of Montepulciano and Montalcino, is the rare "touchstone of Renaissance urbanism". In 1996, UNESCO declared the town a World Heritage Site, and in 2004 the entire valley, the Val d'Orcia, was included on the list of UNESCO's World Cultural Landscapes. Pienza was rebuilt from a village called Corsignano, which was the birthplace (1405) of Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini, a Renaissance humanist born into an exiled Sienese family, who later became Pope Pius II. Once he became Pope, Piccolomini had the entire village rebuilt as an ideal Renaissance town. Pienza is famous not only for its architectures but also for the excellent sheep's milk cheese, or more correctly, ewes' milk cheese, pecorino, produced in the area. The word "formaggio" (cows milk cheese) is rarely used in Tuscany where most of the cheese consumed is pecorino, followed in popularity by mozzarella and then other cheeses that have their own individual names. On the first Sunday of September the “Cheese rolling competition” held in Pienza, known as "cacio al fuso" (literally, the cheese to the spindle) attract many people. The aim of the participants in this popular festival is to see who can roll the cheese so that it stops closest to the spindle.

---

64km (1h) from La Rustica: directions

San. Galgano abbey
A story of a round chapel, a knight and a sword in the stone

San Galgano Abbey is a Cistercian abbey, situated around 100km from Arezzo. The site is from the hermitage (called "Round Montesiepi") and the great abbey, now completely ruined and reduced only to the walls. The absence of the roof emphasizes the articulation of the architecture-common this to those of the abbey of Kelso and Melrose in Scotland, of Cashel in Ireland and Eldena in Germany. According to legend a knight named Galgano Guidotti became a hermit after seeing a vision of the Archangel Michael. He then had a second vision telling him to abandon the things of the world. Protesting that to do so ‘would be as difficult as splitting a rock with a sword’, Galgano sought to prove his point: on Christmas Day 1180 he struck a stone with his sword. Instead of breaking, the sword slid like butter into the rock. Undisputed historical evidence proves not only that Galgano really existed, but also that the sword visible in the Rotonda was plunged into the rock by him, and that this episode found its way into the Arthurian cycle. This is legend of San Galgano abbey, a story centered on a round chapel, a knight and a sword in the stone…even if the sword in the stone is not Excalibur and the knight is not King Arthur.

---

125km (1:40h) from La Rustica: directions

Parish of Romena
An uncontaminated spot to spend a day of relax

Parish of Romena. In the open Tuscan country, in the Casentino, just few kilometers away from Arezzo, a Romanesque parish church with an unusual charm is to be noted: the Pieve di Romena (Parish Church of Romena). FAMIS MCLI TEMPORE. This writing is carved on the capital of the first column on the left entering the beautiful church of San Pietro a Romena year and indicates the circumstances in which this Romanesque church was built. The first impression you have of this church is that of a shorter building as the common ones. It is not a sensation, it is the reality. Actually, in 1678 the façade and the first two arcades of this parish church collapsed. Despite this, from the architectural point of view, Romena is the most important church of the Casentino. Externally, the most fascinating part of the Parish of Romena, today declared a National Monument, is certainly the silence you will find. It’s a spot of peace and tranquility, the best place if you are looking for a quiet and relax day to spend in your Tuscany holiday!

---

44km (45min) from La Rustica: directions

Pieve a Socana
An Etruscan temple 2500 years old

Pieve a Socana in the town of Castel Focognano was in antiquity (from Roman times to the whole Middle Ages) an important road junction. Here are crossed roads leading in Arezzo, Casentino, Valdarno. While important Romanesque churches of the High Casentino  you can somehow bring together some respects architectural, historical and political, the Parish of Socana in low Casentino, has a history all its own, less clear and documented, but certainly very important, very long, starting with the Etruscans. The reputation and interest in the Parish of Socana, in fact, is also due to the presence of Etruscan sacrificial altar placed in front of the apse of the church and the one dating from the fifth century BC. This, along with other artifacts discovered during excavations in 1972, reveal the presence of an Etruscan temple whose archaeological remains are found mostly under the floor of the church. Socana, therefore, is place that can tell more than 2500 years of worship!

---

24km (30min) from La Rustica: directions

Monteriggioni
Revive one of the most famous mediaeval pageants in Italy

Monteriggioni is located between Arezzo and Siena. Monteriggioni is a medieval walled town, located on a natural hillock, built by the Sienese in 1213 as a front line in their wars against Florence, by assuming command of the Cassia Road running through the Val d'Elsa. The walls and towers are virtually intact, and the visual effect from a distance is quite astonishing. Inside there is almost no traffic, making the town a great place for children to really enjoy themselves. In addition, the buildings inside the walls are for the most part original and attractive. The town is architecturally and culturally significant; it hosts several Piazzas and it was referenced in Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy: Inferno, xxxi. 41-44 '...come in su la cerchia londa Monteriggioni di torri si corona’. The "Medieval festival" of Monteriggioni takes place on the first weekend of July: This is the one of the most famous mediaeval pageants in Italy. Local people (and professionals) dressed in mediaeval costume play the roles of farmers, merchants, soldiers, cross-bowmen and friars displaying ancient arts and crafts along the few narrow streets and in the piazza.

---

110km (1:20h) from La Rustica: directions

Torrita di Siena
A small village rich of tradition

Torrita di Siena is an ancient village situated on a hill in the western part of the Chiana Valley. Torrita di Siena has preserved its medieval appearance in the old houses in the characteristic arcades, alleys that reveal unexpected views at every turn. An aura of history and legend surrounds the visitor is walking through the streets of this quiet village in the Val di Chiana is still partly surrounded by walls of 1100. Today the tower is as urban evolution of a fortified castle, surrounded by long stretchesfrom the ancient city walls dating from the twelfth century, in which there are still the original gateways: Port Gavina, Porta a Pago, Porta a sole and a fourth gate, Porta Nova. Heart of the town is Piazza Matteotti, with the old cistern that once supplied water to the entire village. At the junction of four roads leading to ports, the square was the center of the religious life of the town. In the PIazza stands the thirteenth-century Palazzo Comunale, the ancient seat of city government that stands up on the tower by a double row of blackbirds that recalls the Torre del Mangia in Siena. Palazzo Comunale is located next to the theatre where the Accademia degli Oscuri was born in the eighteenth century. The most important event in Torrita di Siena is the "Palio dei Somari", a funny and unique race among donkeys.

---

47km (40min) from La Rustica: directions

Poppi
Discover the charm of hidden Italy

Poppi is located at the center of the Casentino, one of the most beautiful valleys in Tuscany. The medieval village is a rare walled town, with the Castello dei Conti Guidi at its highest point, dominating over all. The Castle was designed by the celebrated Di Cambio family of architects, and was a “prototype” for Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. Built in the 12th century, its façade has two-mullioned windows, with a high tower rising above it at the center. It is surrounded by a defense wall with Guelf embattlements and a broad moat. Thanks to frequent restorations over the centuries, the castle is in excellent condition. It houses a library, the Biblioteca Rilliana, which has hundreds of medieval manuscripts and precious incunabula. Going down from the castle one comes to the Rectory of Santi Marco e Lorenzo (18th cent.), which holds works by Ligozzi and Morandini. Across from it, on the main square, there is a rare example of Tuscan Late Baroque architecture, the Oratory of the Madonna del Morbo (17th cent.), a hexagonal building with a tiled dome ringed by an exquisite arcade. Inside there is a fine Madonna and Child by Filippino Lippi. Last is the monastery of the Augustinians (16th cent.), which has splendid Della Robbia terracottas. A pleasant conclusion to the visit is a walk along the circuit of medieval walls, from which there are lovely views of the Tuscany countryside.

---

35km (40min) from La Rustica: directions

Many detailed brochures of Tuscany will be ready for you at Il Nocio!

▲ Back to top ▲

---

Sport activities

Near La Rustica you can find a horse riding center, a tennis field and golf club

---

---