CHIANCIANO TERME "OLD TOWN", “Walk through history, art and landscape”
Chianciano old town or “Paese” (this is the italian name of the ancient historic core of Chianciano Terme) maintains its original medieval town plan, on top of a ridge, surrounded by walls and dominated by the Manenti Castle or Monastery.
The main entrance door is Porta Rivellini, peaceful and elegant at the same time.
Right after the arc, we find the Immacolata church (or “death” church) and then we access the beautiful Casini street with the Clock Tower on the background and a breathtaking view that arrive until the Amiata mountain.
Continuing the route, we arrive at Matteotti square with a beautiful hexagonal fountain in the center. Then we take Solferino street until the “Piazzolina dei Soldati” square where we can widely admire the rural area in the nearby and where we find the “Palazzo dell’Arcipretura”, home of little but precious Religous art museum of Collegiata church.
Then we walk until the beautiful Collegiata or San Giovanni Battista church with its Romanesque gateway and its neoclassicals interiors. To conclude our visit, we can come back at the main square descending through Croce street and then the panoramic Forni street where we can admire the terrific landscapes of Val di Chiana.
If you please, enjoy the maze of narrow and picturesque streets that internally link all the old town.
Beyond Porta del Sole door, at the foot of the town, nestled in the surrounding countryside, stands the magnificent Greek cross temple of Madonna della Rosa, designed by Baldassarre Lanci, architect of the Duke of Urbino, in 1569.
MUSEO DELLE ACQUE OF CHIANCIANO TERME, “Discovery the etruscan world”
A complete exhibition about Etruscan civilization is available at the Archeological Etruscan Museum of Chianciano Terme, located in a barn of the XIX century just outside the old town.
The engaging exhibition shows, helped by picturesque locations and short films, the various aspects of Etruscans and shows beautiful objects discovered in the area, exposed not only for their beauty that they transmit, but also as a incentive to know Etruscan daily life.
From the banquet to religion, from cult of the death to the charmed figure of Etruscan woman, all is in a relaxed and comfortable location to give the visitor an exciting journey in the past with these ancient "Tuscan people".
ART MUSEUM OF CHIANCIANO TERME, “A in the centuries art trip"
In the hotel nearby, the Art Museum of Chianciano Terme offers the visitor san awesome exhibition that transports you from the most important Chinese dynasties to contemporary art, passing through the magnificent engravings of Durer.
Continuing the visit you will meet King Umberto II, immortalized in a big painting coming from the collection of the Royal House of Savoia.
Il Tiepolo, il Guercino, Munch, Magritte and Napoleon III will enchant you into the world of drawings.
LA FOCE, “A beautiful garden overlooking the Valdorcia”
La Foce estate, just outside Chianciano Terme, has been a crossroads and a very important meeting point in the centuries.
In the ‘20s, Antonio and Iris Origo (the famous English writer of “Guerra in Valdorcia”) bought the property and asked the famous landscape architect Cecil Pinsent to begin a huge renovation, which has the maximum expression with the beautiful large garden.
Realized between 1925 and 1939, the garden is composed by lemon trees, a formal ltalian garden, terraced slopes that gently climb up the Mediterranean style hill, a rose garden with a winding wisteria-covered pergola, seats for panoramic views and a formal scenographic lower garden with nymphaeum and fountains. The garden degrades in a forest, connected with the magnificent family cemetery. On the background stands the Valdorcia with its characteristic cypresses, arranged as a serpentine.
CHIUSI, “Visit the underground in the etruscan land”
The Etruscan origin is still visible. The visit to the Etruscan National Museum with the excursion to the tombs at only 3 km.(Pellegrina’s Tomb, Lion’s Tomb, Monkey’s Tomb and Colle’s Tomb) is advised and it’s possible to enter in the “Porsenna’s Maze”, a tangled system of underground passages that lead to the reservoir of the I° century B.C. Moreover, also a visit of the “Underground city”, a series of underground tunnels with about 300 urns and 200 written tomb shingles, is advised.
MONTEPULCIANO, “The Renaissance and Noble Wine Pearl”
The Noble wine of Montepulciano and its wine cellars (accessible) give to the renaissance city a added value. The big street in the middle starts from “Porta del Prato” leads to “Piazza Grande” through various urban stratifications of the city from the Etruscan age (stones to death to the base of Palazzo Bucelli) to the closing of the '500 (Avignonesi, Cocconi, Tarugi, Contucci Palaces) until the baroque episodes of the '600/'700.Moreover, there is the evocative S.Biagio’s Temple of Antonio da Sangallo il Vecchio (1518-1580), symbol of the city with its imposing construction and its perfect dome.
PIENZA, "The ideal Renaissance city in the Valdorcia"
The city blooms thanks to its illustrious citizen Pope Pio II (Enea Silvio Piccolomini) that transforms the village with the aid of “Il Rossellino”, that structure the old village of Corsignano in a beautiful renaissance city, a wonderful example of architecture and urbanism of the fifteenth century.
Pienza, declared world heritage by Unesco for the importance of its monuments and its city plan, has a main way, rich of buildings-symbol, and characteristic secondary ways like “Via del Bacio, dell’Amore o del Balzello, that flow on a panoramic view of the Val d' Orcia.
To visit: the Cathedral, the Piccolomini Palace and its characteristic shops where the famous Pecorino cheese can be acquired.
At 6 km. the visit to the medieval village of Monticchiello is advised.
BAGNI SAN FILIPPO, “The Nature Show”
S. Filippo Bagni is at the foot of Amiata mount, at about 20 km. from Chianciano Terme. It’s a true thermal village with a jewel: “Il Fosso Bianco”.
A hot water stream, with thermal sulphurous-sulphate-bicarbonate water at a temperature higher than 40° C, with the passing of the years has created a gigantic sculpture (Il Fosso Bianco),a breathtaking show with pools and puddles formed by the small river.
BAGNO VIGNONI “A suggestive thermal water square"
It’s a medieval village born in the nearby of thermal sources that power some mills in sequence along the evocative limestone cliff. In the heart of the village the ancient bathtub, where also Saint Caterina plunged, still today gives off warm vapor giving fascination and value to this city.
VALDICHIANA OUTLET VILLAGE, “The fashionable and cheap tuscan village”
In the nearby of A1 motorway exit “Valdichiana - Bettolle” more than 200 stores of great trademarks discounted all the year until 70% wait for you. You can choose walking in a Tuscan-style village with squares, streets and arcades.
