Today is going to be quite intense, and you will drive a bit further than the day before, specially if you have decided to stay at Colle di Val d'Elsa. This is our route: Montepulciano, Pienza, S. Quirico d'Orcia, Sant'Antimo Abbey and Montacilno.
Of course, this can be also great for a two day itinerary of you prefer so :)
Palazzo Comunale, Montepulciano
The distance between Colle di val d’Elsa and Montepulciano is around 87 Km. Montepulciano is a gorgeous medieval town with a long slope up a hill, quite famous also because of its wine. Its fortress has been destroyed and rebuilt several times and it was one of the main locations of war between Sienna and Florence. No very long ago, it was shown, featuring as Volterra, in one of the Twilight movies, New Moon. Make sure you go up the main street up to the Cathedral or Duomo. You will be in the middle of a square with a well, the cathedral and the city hall, the Palazzo Comunale. You can go up the tower and the views are really worth it.
In the cathedral you can admire on of the master pieces of the SieneseSchool, Assumption of the Virgin, by Taddeo di Bartolo, 1401. There are many other churches and palazzos, so you can stroll around and end up having lunch in of the restaurants. Don’t forget to taste the area’s wine, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.
Views, Montepulciano
When leaving Montepulciano and at the start of your way to Pienza –only 13 Km- stop at the Temple of San Biagio, a church from the Cinquecento. It is worth it both because of the church and because of the views of Montepulciano.
Views of Montepulciano and San Biagio
Our next stop is Pienza, its centre was designed by erudite Pope Pius II, who was born there and tried to adapt it to the Renaissance ideas. It used to be called Corsignano. Bernardo Rossellino was in charge of the catedral, the pope’s palace and the city hall. The project was never completed as a whole. Visit Palazzo Piccolomini if you have the time. By the way. This is where the famous cheese Pecorino, about which I was talking about in another post, comes from. So, is there any better time to taste it or to buy some than while visiting Pienza? Views from town are also gorgeous. And with those views I am finishing this post so that it is not too long. To be continued in a few days…
Siena: Leaving the car outside the city is a good idea. There are some park sites where you can leave it and from them the center is in walking distance.
Beautiful Siena
On your way to the center, stop at the Chapel of Santa Caterina di Siena inside the Basilica di Santo Domenico and enjoy the medieval ambience by strolling its streets.
You will eventually end up in one of the most beautiful squares in Italy, the famous Piazza del Campo, where the Palio (the horse race) takes place twice a year- 2 July and 16 August if you are interested- Watch this presentation by Andrew, who was so lucky to see it this summer, that you can also check in his youtube channel.
At the Piazza del Campo make sure you don't miss the Gaia fountain -actually a 19th century copy f the original one from the 15th century by Jacopo della Quercia- and the Loggia della Mercanzia before you give your whole attention to the imposing city hall, il Palazzo Pubblico -built from 1297 to 1342- and its tower, La Torre del Mangia -1348. You may want to go up, it seems the views are amazing, though I can not tell by myself as my fear of heights proved itself stronger than usual. When I was there I was told that the tower -102 m high- has this name due to its first bellringer, known as "mangiaguadagni" (literally "the one eating profits" because he was very lazy. The wikipedia gives a slightly different version.
Palazzo Pubblico and Torre del Mangia
And you can not leave Siena without visiting its cathedral and its museum, by now you will have probably been seeing it all day among the roofs.
Monteriggioni. After Siena make sure you don't miss a visit to this charming walled town on the top of a hill, impossible to get lost as you will spot it from far away on the road! You may find interesting that Dante used Monteriggioni as a symbol in the Divina Commedia. Monteriggioni celebrates a medieval festa in July. Have any of you been there? I would like to read some opinions on it.
Watch this wonderful pictures presentation by Giorgio to see what it's like
Ever dreamt as a child -or as an adult ;)- with a fairy tale castle with cake-like towers? That is what I used to think of whenever I saw this cathedral on TV as a child. Saint Basil's Cathedral won't dissapoint your chilhood imagination when you actually get to see it.
St. Basil's Cathedral, Moscow
¿Alguna vez has soñado cuando eras niño -o adulto ;)- con castillos de cuentos de hadas que tuvieran torres que parecieran tartas? Eso es lo que yo solía pensar cuando de pequeña veía la Catedral de San Basilio en la tele. No decepcionará vuestra imaginación de niño si la visitáis.
