SURROUNDINGS
SIENA - MAGIC CITY
Siena always aroused deep interest in tourists around the world for the beauty of its monuments and for the richness of artwork that can be admired in the Sienese museums. Great artists were born in Siena and among them we remember Duccio di Boninsegna and Nicola Pisano who worked at the biggest artistic masterpiece of the city: the Duomo di Siena.
In narrow and winding lanes, in the museums and in the speakers of Contrada, the propitiatory songs of the Palio evoke ancient and modern allegories, while the skimming of the soles on the deserted pavement, in the evening, is a counterpoint to the quiteness of the green valleys that are enclosed within the walls by ancient administrators with centuries ahead of time,
In the city we can admire many works of art including the Duomo, located in the red Piazza del Campo, and the extraordinary panorama of the Facade, the Sala del Pellegrinaio of Santa Maria della Scala, the Piccolomini Library, the prestigious Chigian Accademy and the great spaces of the Medici Fortress which in its bowels conceals the most precious wines of Siena, Tuscany and the peninsula.
LA VAL DI CHIANA AND THE TERME
Val di Chiana (or Valdichiana) is an alluvial valley, between the province of Arezzo and Siena.
It can be subdivided, following the present provincial division, into two territories: Val di Chiana Aretina and Val di Chiana Senese.
The area during the Etruscan era was a period of great splendor and importance, witnessed by countless archaeological finds from the various Chianini centers, particularly from Arezzo, Cortona and Chiusi. In addition to these, among the Municipalities that are part of Val di Chiana are Chianciano Terme, Foiano della Chiana, Torrita di Siena, Sinalunga and Montepulciano.
Val di Chiana, along with Val d'Orcia, is today a land renowned for its particular connection with water and thermal tourism: it is in fact the land with the highest concentration of TERME. Each area also has a special relationship with the thermal springs: almost everywhere traces of ancient TERME has been found, such as San Casciano dei Bagni, Chianciano, Bagno Vignoni and Bagni San Filippo.
To point out:
1) Terme di Montepulciano, as cutting edge in research and application of thermal treatments,
2) Rapolano, sulfur water
3) Sarteano, gigantic thermal pool
Valdichiana is also a land of ancient traditions as demonstrated by the various folklore events and historical revocations which take place in the various city centers and involve a large part of the population. Among the main ones are the Carnival of Foiano, the Bravio delle Botti di Montepulciano, the historical renactment of the Battle of Scannagallo of Pozzo della Chiana and the Palio dei Somari of Torrita di Siena.
TERME ANTICA QUERCIOLAIA
A source of art, history and nature
Known since ancient times and always been used for its beneficial properties, the source of Antica Querciolaia finds its ideal location right in the heart of Tuscany, in an area where art, history and nature blend indissolubly.
A unique location, two steps from recognized art cities such as Siena, Pienza and Montepulciano, in a territory of Crete Senesi, where shapes and colors are always inspired by perfection and where peace and silence lead to primordial atmospheres out of time. Just this place, combined with the comfort and functionality of a modern structure, makes Antica Querciolaia Terme the ideal place to be able to regenerate body and mind; a place that makes thermal SPA wellness a global lifestyle where the beneficial virtues of water marry with the wisdom of expert hands.
Water is the undisputed protagonist of the structure, to the point of influencing and modeling, from its origins, the architectural aspect, in its shapes and colors. The waters of the Antica Querciolaia flow from the subsoil at a temperature of 39-40 degrees. They are sulfuric-bicarbonate-calcium waters and as such are characterized by the presence of large amounts of calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium. A great concentration of salts, this, which, in addition to facilitating the natural floating in the pool, confers to the water recognized healthy properties.
The waters of the Antica Querciolaia Terme, analyzed and certified by the University of Naples, are particularly suitable for the treatment of respiratory, locomotor, cardiovascular diseases, and for the treatment of skin diseases. Added to essences become the basis of many aesthetic treatments. A healthy bath to restore vitality and harmony to your body and to regain your own psycho-physical balance away from daily stress.
Guests can choose between a modern covered facility and a large outdoor pool park: obtained in the quiet of a garden of centuries-old plants, it consists of modern thermal water pools at different temperatures, recently expanded through the construction of a large tub with hydromassage sessions and a hot-cold path.
The presence of modern covered access allows you to access the outdoor pool even in the colder seasons and makes the bath in the nighttime atmosphere of the weekend pleasant and enchanting.
SINALUNGA
Sinalunga, municipality of the province of Siena, rises on the hills that separate the Val di Chiana from the Valley of the Ombrone, 47 kilometers from Siena.
The village, whose oldest nucleus consists of a medieval oval-shaped medieval village, houses numerous historical, artistic and architectural testimonies, including the Pieve Romanica of San Pietro in Mensulas, inside which there are two burial monuments of Roman times, Collegiata of San Martino, Church of Santa Maria delle Nevi (17th century) and Santa Croce (17th century) belonging to the Brotherhood of Mercy.
Of particular interest is the historical center of the village, which retains a few stretches of the ancient wall, still visible in the southeastern side. In the historic center stands the bell tower of Palazzo Pretorio, erected between 1337 and 1346 and seat of civil authority and the prestigious Teatro Comunale dedicated to Ciro Pinsuti, a Sinalongan musician student of Gioacchino Rossini.
Among the events that take place in Sinalunga is to remember the Feast of San Martin, which is held on November 11 and foresees the carrying out of a religious function in honor of the Patron Saint, followed by a carriage race.
MONTEPULCIANO
Montepulciano, is built along a narrow limestone ridge, at a height of 605 meters above sea level. The village is surrounded by walles and fortifications designed by Antonio da Sangallo il Vecchio in 1500 by order of Cosimo I.
Montepulciano is known mainly for its imposing Renaissance palaces, the elegant beauty of its churches and the Vino Nobile, one of the most appreciated Tuscan wines on an international level. The center of town develops along a course that rises up the hill reaching the central square, Piazza Grande: here you can admire the Duomo, the Palazzo Comunale and the many Renaissance palaces that surround the square. In the valley below the village, in an unforgettable panorama, stands the elegant hill of the Tempio of San Biagio.
Montepulciano is also a center of lively cultural activity: in July-August the village hosts the International Art Gallery, an artistic event created by the German composer Hans Werner Henze. In August two other appointments animate the life of the town: the Bruscello, which is represented on the 14th, 15th and 16th, when the actors dramatize scenes from the history of the city and the Bravio delle Botti, which takes place on the last Sunday of August : on this occasion the contrade competes, pushing big barrels along the climb of the course.
PIENZA
Pienza, a small town in Siena, is a rare example of Renaissance urbanism being completed. Defined from time to time as the "ideal city", the "utopia city", today it is one of the constructive ways in which in the Renaissance era it was attempted to realize a model of life and "ideal" government on earth, a city idea that was able to give concrete answers to the desire for peaceful civilian coexistence of men. It was "the utopia of civitas" pursued by men of antiquity. Pienza currently has two museums.
Its location in the center of the Val d'Orcia makes the town perfectly able to document even today the interest that humanistic architecture poses in the relationship between man and nature, also in reference to the importance this had during the age classic.
The center of Pienza was completely transformed by Pope Pius II in the Renaissance. He designed to transform his native village into an ideal city of the Renaissance. The architect Bernardo Rossellino had the task of building a Duomo, a papal palace (Palazzo Piccolomini) and a municipal palace; the work was completed in three years. The papal palace, home to the descendants of Pope Pius II until 1968, is adjacent to the Duomo and inside it is a courtyard adorned with columns that enters a loggia from which you have a spectacular view of the Val d'Orcia and the slopes wooded Mount Amiata.
Right outside the historic center of Pienza is instead the Pieve romanica of Corsignano, where Pope Pius II was baptized: the structure has a cylindrical tower and a portal decorated with mythological and fantastic themes.
Today, Pienza is part of a territorial system called the Artistic, Natural and Cultural Park of Val d'Orcia, which aims to preserve the extraordinary artistic heritage of the five municipalities that are part of the area: Castiglion d'Orcia, Montalcino, Pienza, Radicofani and San Quirico d'Orcia.