Guidebook for Province of Siena
San Gimignano
In the middle ages, this city boasted 72 towers, and now 15 remain - to see what it looked like back then, there's even a new museum with a scale model of the city (San Gimignano 1300). These towers were private fortified homes which were necessary for people to lock themselves up inside and retreat to the top during political insurgence. Other Tuscan towns and cities, including Florence, previously had a lot of tower homes, so this town gives us a sense of what that would have looked like. The way we see San Gimignano today remains a good reflection of its medieval form, with art from the 14th and 15th centuries in the Sienese and Florentine styles. The town flourished in the 13th and 14th centuries with an economy based on wool, wine, and saffron. The local white grape used in the local wine, vernaccia di san gimignano, has been growing here since the early 13th century. Saffron, besides being a good flavour for rice, was an important dye for cloth. This town produced much saffron for export, upon which it charged heavy taxes, but it also dyed long bolts of cloth with the precious spice, and hung this cloth to dry in the tall tower houses - we are not sure if this was down the central courtyard or out the windows. Can you imagine what this must have looked like, swaths of orangey-yellow flapping in the breeze!? Although an independent comune by the 12th century (one of the first in Italy), over time San Gimignano became politically dependant on Siena and then annexed by Florence in 1354. Also thanks to the geographical proximity to Siena, the early 14th century art here is primarily by sienese artists. For this reason, the Maestà in their town hall (the Palazzo Pubblico) is a copy of the one in Siena’s town hall (which, in turn, was loosely based on the one in that town’s cathedral). It was painted by Lippo Memmi who was Simone Martini’s brother in law. It has been slightly adjusted to accommodate a different patron and the saints related to San Gimignano, but otherwise is a repetition of the same forms in order to emphasize Siena’s political control at that time. In the 15th century, more Florentine artists came here. Giuliano da Maiano redesigned the apse of the Duomo to accommodate a larger choir, while Benozzo Gozzoli painted an important fresco cycle at the church of Sant’Agostino.
The collegiata
The Romanesque ex-cathedral is fully painted with trecento and quattrocento frescoes that represent both the Sienese and Florentine influences on the town. The church itself, called a Collegiata rather than Duomo because the town doesn't have a Bishop, was begun in 1056, rennovated in 1239, and again in 1460.
Don't miss the gruesome Last Judgement scene by Taddeo di Bartolo on the entrance wall (1393), in which you can make out people being forced to pay for their sins in the most creative ways! For example, look at those guilty of the sin of gluttony who are forced to eat tons every day for eternity in Hell! It's like a very long vacation in Tuscany, gone too far... The frescoes in the nave date from the mid 15th century. Photos are not permitted inside.
Excellent Tuscan restaurant in a small medieval village. The landscape to get there is wonderful.
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osteria del borgo
25 Via RicasoliExcellent Tuscan restaurant in a small medieval village. The landscape to get there is wonderful.
Ideal for carnivores! excellent chianina steaks on the gray
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Ristorante la Speranza
Ideal for carnivores! excellent chianina steaks on the gray
Caffè Casolani
41 Via Alessandro CasolaniGreat aperitif bar. In summer live music
San Gimignano
In the middle ages, this city boasted 72 towers, and now 15 remain - to see what it looked like back then, there's even a new museum with a scale model of the city (San Gimignano 1300). These towers were private fortified homes which were necessary for people to lock themselves up inside and retreat to the top during political insurgence. Other Tuscan towns and cities, including Florence, previously had a lot of tower homes, so this town gives us a sense of what that would have looked like. The way we see San Gimignano today remains a good reflection of its medieval form, with art from the 14th and 15th centuries in the Sienese and Florentine styles. The town flourished in the 13th and 14th centuries with an economy based on wool, wine, and saffron. The local white grape used in the local wine, vernaccia di san gimignano, has been growing here since the early 13th century. Saffron, besides being a good flavour for rice, was an important dye for cloth. This town produced much saffron for export, upon which it charged heavy taxes, but it also dyed long bolts of cloth with the precious spice, and hung this cloth to dry in the tall tower houses - we are not sure if this was down the central courtyard or out the windows. Can you imagine what this must have looked like, swaths of orangey-yellow flapping in the breeze!? Although an independent comune by the 12th century (one of the first in Italy), over time San Gimignano became politically dependant on Siena and then annexed by Florence in 1354. Also thanks to the geographical proximity to Siena, the early 14th century art here is primarily by sienese artists. For this reason, the Maestà in their town hall (the Palazzo Pubblico) is a copy of the one in Siena’s town hall (which, in turn, was loosely based on the one in that town’s cathedral). It was painted by Lippo Memmi who was Simone Martini’s brother in law. It has been slightly adjusted to accommodate a different patron and the saints related to San Gimignano, but otherwise is a repetition of the same forms in order to emphasize Siena’s political control at that time. In the 15th century, more Florentine artists came here. Giuliano da Maiano redesigned the apse of the Duomo to accommodate a larger choir, while Benozzo Gozzoli painted an important fresco cycle at the church of Sant’Agostino.
The collegiata
The Romanesque ex-cathedral is fully painted with trecento and quattrocento frescoes that represent both the Sienese and Florentine influences on the town. The church itself, called a Collegiata rather than Duomo because the town doesn't have a Bishop, was begun in 1056, rennovated in 1239, and again in 1460.
Don't miss the gruesome Last Judgement scene by Taddeo di Bartolo on the entrance wall (1393), in which you can make out people being forced to pay for their sins in the most creative ways! For example, look at those guilty of the sin of gluttony who are forced to eat tons every day for eternity in Hell! It's like a very long vacation in Tuscany, gone too far... The frescoes in the nave date from the mid 15th century. Photos are not permitted inside.
Small but well-stocked minimarket. I recommend buying food here. You can also buy a good olive oil from the cooperative. Ask for their oil.
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CONSORZIO AGRARIO DI SIENA NEGOZIO ALIMENTARI DI CASOLE D'ELSA
2 Via ProvincialeSmall but well-stocked minimarket. I recommend buying food here. You can also buy a good olive oil from the cooperative. Ask for their oil.
The view from Casole d’Elsa is breath-taking, with the rolling hills of the Siena countryside unfolding all aroundand, not far away, like a guardian watching over the village, the historic towns of San Gimignano and Volterra.
The town’s defense walls, which at sunset are bathed in warm colours, are synonymous with the history of this borderland, once fought over between the bishops of Volterra and Siena. Thanks to this tumultuous past, some fortifications were built in the town, along with two towers from the 1400s and a castle, a 14th-century stronghold that today is home to the town government.This centuries-old, imposing building conceals a tender and contemporary soul, centred around the Arte Viva Gallery, founded by Giuseppe Ciani and home to a magnificent collection of drawings and painting by children from all over the province. Luckily, art in Casole can be found everywhere. Whether it’s because of the peace of its location, immersed in nature, or the inspiring landscapes that surround the town, artists create truly unique things here. They’ve left behind traces of sculptures and murals that seem to have been here since forever and which locals couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. One of these creative geniuses is Deva Manfredo, who in the forest between Casole and Chiusdino created the Dream Woods, an enchanting place where nature is both the backdrop and the artwork, an oak tree forest where stones and coloured glass come to life, blending harmoniously with the environment to create a little corner of the world that’s perfect for meditating and taking a relaxing walk.
The history of the town and the surrounding area can be explored at the Museum of Archeology, where you can learn about life in Casole d’Elsa all the way back to the Etruscan era, as well as admire paintings and sculptures from the Sienese school dating from the 14th to 16th centuries.
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Casole d'Elsa
The view from Casole d’Elsa is breath-taking, with the rolling hills of the Siena countryside unfolding all aroundand, not far away, like a guardian watching over the village, the historic towns of San Gimignano and Volterra.
The town’s defense walls, which at sunset are bathed in warm colours, are synonymous with the history of this borderland, once fought over between the bishops of Volterra and Siena. Thanks to this tumultuous past, some fortifications were built in the town, along with two towers from the 1400s and a castle, a 14th-century stronghold that today is home to the town government.This centuries-old, imposing building conceals a tender and contemporary soul, centred around the Arte Viva Gallery, founded by Giuseppe Ciani and home to a magnificent collection of drawings and painting by children from all over the province. Luckily, art in Casole can be found everywhere. Whether it’s because of the peace of its location, immersed in nature, or the inspiring landscapes that surround the town, artists create truly unique things here. They’ve left behind traces of sculptures and murals that seem to have been here since forever and which locals couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. One of these creative geniuses is Deva Manfredo, who in the forest between Casole and Chiusdino created the Dream Woods, an enchanting place where nature is both the backdrop and the artwork, an oak tree forest where stones and coloured glass come to life, blending harmoniously with the environment to create a little corner of the world that’s perfect for meditating and taking a relaxing walk.
The history of the town and the surrounding area can be explored at the Museum of Archeology, where you can learn about life in Casole d’Elsa all the way back to the Etruscan era, as well as admire paintings and sculptures from the Sienese school dating from the 14th to 16th centuries.
Monteriggioni, whose stone halo shines from the top of a hill, is one of the most memorable towns in all of Italy. The town stands illusion-like to travellers wishing to dive into the Middle Ages and its beauty is such that Monteriggioni has played the leading role in films as well as in an episode of the popular videogame Assassin’s Creed. It dates way back, perhaps even settled in the 8th century BCE, as evidenced by the settlement unearthed near Campassini and the vast Etruscan necropolis Casone. The town’s main sights worth seeing are the castle and nearby Abbadia Isola, but amid the breath-taking countryside the entire Monteriggioni area teems with churches, villas and tiny villages. It’s a pleasure to travel these rolling hills on foot, by bike or on horseback. With hillsides brimming with vineyards and olive groves, Monteriggioni beats out numerous natural paths.
The Republic of Siena erected the castle between 1214 and 1219, creating a defensive outpost against Florence. For centuries, the settlement fulfilled its purpose, squelching a long line of sieges and attacks. The town’s military function diminished however in the 16th century when the entire state of Siena became annexed to Florence.
Monteriggioni still maintains most of its 13th-century structures, a truly unique place, even amid the many medieval towns of Tuscany. A 570-meter-long wall wraps its way around the hilltop, dotted with 14 impressive towers. The village within the walls revolves around a central piazza, home to the church of Santa Maria Assunta. While this building best preserves the town’s age-old traits, copious features, notably narrow streets, have survived in these walls for centuries.
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Monteriggioni
Monteriggioni, whose stone halo shines from the top of a hill, is one of the most memorable towns in all of Italy. The town stands illusion-like to travellers wishing to dive into the Middle Ages and its beauty is such that Monteriggioni has played the leading role in films as well as in an episode of the popular videogame Assassin’s Creed. It dates way back, perhaps even settled in the 8th century BCE, as evidenced by the settlement unearthed near Campassini and the vast Etruscan necropolis Casone. The town’s main sights worth seeing are the castle and nearby Abbadia Isola, but amid the breath-taking countryside the entire Monteriggioni area teems with churches, villas and tiny villages. It’s a pleasure to travel these rolling hills on foot, by bike or on horseback. With hillsides brimming with vineyards and olive groves, Monteriggioni beats out numerous natural paths.
The Republic of Siena erected the castle between 1214 and 1219, creating a defensive outpost against Florence. For centuries, the settlement fulfilled its purpose, squelching a long line of sieges and attacks. The town’s military function diminished however in the 16th century when the entire state of Siena became annexed to Florence.
Monteriggioni still maintains most of its 13th-century structures, a truly unique place, even amid the many medieval towns of Tuscany. A 570-meter-long wall wraps its way around the hilltop, dotted with 14 impressive towers. The village within the walls revolves around a central piazza, home to the church of Santa Maria Assunta. While this building best preserves the town’s age-old traits, copious features, notably narrow streets, have survived in these walls for centuries.
Volterra has an unmistakable Medieval character, where the atmosphere of an ancient village can still be felt and whose authenticity is protected by the relative isolation that has limited the development of the city center in the industrial era, safeguarding the city from urban speculation.
History has continually left its mark on Volterra, from the Etruscan period to the 19th century: the city is a treasure trove of artistic heritage, which can be admired as you walk through the streets of the historic city center and visit the local museums, like the Etruscan Museum, the Pinacoteca, the Museum of Sacred Art or the Alabaster Ecomuseum. And the beauty continues just outside the historic center, where you can enjoy the splendid Roman Theatre and the ruins of the Etruscan Acropolis. While you’re out here, make sure to take in the surrounding landscape, uncontaminated by time, before heading off to discover the secrets of a rare artisan product: alabaster.
Modern Volterra is almost totally enclosed by the 13th-century city walls, the result of an urban expansion that, beginning around the year 1000, was finally finished nearly 300 years after the construction of the defence systems around the city’s ports. In that period, Volterra grew from the castrensial form of late-Antiquity (5th century), extending to its current boundaries. The center developed around the ancient church of Santa Maria (the current cathedral) and the neighbouring pratus episcopatus, today piazza dei Priori, while beyond the castrum or castellum, the villages of Santa Maria and Abate sprang up.
As you stroll through Volterra, you’re sure to notice the curious Incrociate, that is, impressive groups of towers that constitute a tangible sign of urban development to the east, west and north: they are the crux viarum of Buomparenti, Sant’Angolo and Baldinotti. Throughout the 1200s, on the pratus episcopatus, not only was the domus comunis (Palazzo dei Priori, from 1208) built alongside the Cathedral’s apses, but the features of the namesake piazza took form and the height of the towers were redrawn according to the different quarters of the city. Aligned with Palazzo dei Priori, piazza San Giovanni was built to serve a typical Tuscan function, that is, to be the location of all the most important ecclesiastical buildings: the Cathedral, the Baptistery, the headquarters of the Opera, the Hospital of Santa Maria and the cemetery.
As previously mentioned, the Medieval walls surrounded almost the entire city until a few years ago. The four Medieval hamlets link together in the center via uphill streets. The hamlets are: San Alessandro, on via delle Saline, on the side of the Val di Cecina, San Lazzero, on the road to Florence and Siena, Santo Stefano and San Giusto, the furthest from the city, near the Balze and dominated over by the mighty church dedicated to the patron saint.
In the late-19th/early-20th century, the large Psychiatric Hospital complex was built in San Lazzero, transformed today into a modern hospital, where the eclectic early-20th century architecture blends with the Rationalist style. Also around San Lazzero, the old railway station from 1912 can be seen, which connected the city of Saline with bold scaffolding.
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Volterra
Volterra has an unmistakable Medieval character, where the atmosphere of an ancient village can still be felt and whose authenticity is protected by the relative isolation that has limited the development of the city center in the industrial era, safeguarding the city from urban speculation.
History has continually left its mark on Volterra, from the Etruscan period to the 19th century: the city is a treasure trove of artistic heritage, which can be admired as you walk through the streets of the historic city center and visit the local museums, like the Etruscan Museum, the Pinacoteca, the Museum of Sacred Art or the Alabaster Ecomuseum. And the beauty continues just outside the historic center, where you can enjoy the splendid Roman Theatre and the ruins of the Etruscan Acropolis. While you’re out here, make sure to take in the surrounding landscape, uncontaminated by time, before heading off to discover the secrets of a rare artisan product: alabaster.
Modern Volterra is almost totally enclosed by the 13th-century city walls, the result of an urban expansion that, beginning around the year 1000, was finally finished nearly 300 years after the construction of the defence systems around the city’s ports. In that period, Volterra grew from the castrensial form of late-Antiquity (5th century), extending to its current boundaries. The center developed around the ancient church of Santa Maria (the current cathedral) and the neighbouring pratus episcopatus, today piazza dei Priori, while beyond the castrum or castellum, the villages of Santa Maria and Abate sprang up.
As you stroll through Volterra, you’re sure to notice the curious Incrociate, that is, impressive groups of towers that constitute a tangible sign of urban development to the east, west and north: they are the crux viarum of Buomparenti, Sant’Angolo and Baldinotti. Throughout the 1200s, on the pratus episcopatus, not only was the domus comunis (Palazzo dei Priori, from 1208) built alongside the Cathedral’s apses, but the features of the namesake piazza took form and the height of the towers were redrawn according to the different quarters of the city. Aligned with Palazzo dei Priori, piazza San Giovanni was built to serve a typical Tuscan function, that is, to be the location of all the most important ecclesiastical buildings: the Cathedral, the Baptistery, the headquarters of the Opera, the Hospital of Santa Maria and the cemetery.
As previously mentioned, the Medieval walls surrounded almost the entire city until a few years ago. The four Medieval hamlets link together in the center via uphill streets. The hamlets are: San Alessandro, on via delle Saline, on the side of the Val di Cecina, San Lazzero, on the road to Florence and Siena, Santo Stefano and San Giusto, the furthest from the city, near the Balze and dominated over by the mighty church dedicated to the patron saint.
In the late-19th/early-20th century, the large Psychiatric Hospital complex was built in San Lazzero, transformed today into a modern hospital, where the eclectic early-20th century architecture blends with the Rationalist style. Also around San Lazzero, the old railway station from 1912 can be seen, which connected the city of Saline with bold scaffolding.
Siena shines perfectly from a distance in its medieval magnificence. The three hills amid which the city rests rise up like an idyllic film set, the old boundaries soften like the past into a countryside that sometimes still seem like the scene painted by Ambrosia Lorenzetti in the Allegory of Good Government in the halls of Siena's city hall. Siena, intact for centuries, still mostly looks as it did in the 14th century, and the conservation of a unique, coherent medieval architecture is one of the main reasons to visit a charming city conscious of its fragile equilibrium: it was the first municipality in Europe to stop traffic from entering the old city centre, back in 1966. It would be wrong to consider Siena as a city that rests in the past, a picture-perfect tourist destination where life is set in stone. Instead, as you stroll the alleyways and narrow streets, you discover a vivacious Siena, vibrant with a contemporary culture scene that encompasses a 750-year-old University, as well as internationally prestigious institutions like the Accademia Musicale Chigiana, University for Foreigners and academies such as the Accademia dei Fisiocritici and Accademia degli Intronati.
Siena reached the pinnacle of its splendour in the Middle Ages, pitching the city against Florence in a centuries-long rivalry. These golden years saw the city accomplish its current appearance, at the height of its economic and historic development. In only a few decades the striking City Hall was erected, as too was the Torre del Mangia, the breathtakingly beautiful Piazza del Campo was paved with travertine ribs to design the distinctive shell shape, and the famous Cathedral was constructed, which the Sienese always intended to expand even further, plans that were eventually set aside due to the Black Death epidemic that struck the city in 1348. (Traces of the project can still be seen in Piazza Jacopo della Quercia, where you can make out the columns of what were supposed to become the new naves and the bigger facade.)
Siena stood up to the plague and refused to be cowed, and although its importance as a political centre yielded to the progress of Florence, the Sienesi have never relinquished their traditions. This is a city where every stone has stayed the same down the centuries thanks to the unique handing down of mysterious and spectacular customs through the generations. The most striking expression is the Palio, a twice-yearly occurrence in which the city's neighbourhoods, known as contrade, compete in an audacious horse race around the piazza del Campo. But even if you're not in town during the Palio days, you can still soak up the atmosphere by visiting the many museums ran by each of the contrade, where you can catch a glimpse of the old drapes and the ornaments that have colored the competition down the centuries. Among the myriad traditions treasured by this old Etruscan city, there's also the food. Siena boasts the sweetest variety of cakes and cookies in Tuscany: try the ricciarelli, panforte, pan pepato, budini di riso, cavallucci and copate. Once tasted, never forgotten!
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Siena
Siena shines perfectly from a distance in its medieval magnificence. The three hills amid which the city rests rise up like an idyllic film set, the old boundaries soften like the past into a countryside that sometimes still seem like the scene painted by Ambrosia Lorenzetti in the Allegory of Good Government in the halls of Siena's city hall. Siena, intact for centuries, still mostly looks as it did in the 14th century, and the conservation of a unique, coherent medieval architecture is one of the main reasons to visit a charming city conscious of its fragile equilibrium: it was the first municipality in Europe to stop traffic from entering the old city centre, back in 1966. It would be wrong to consider Siena as a city that rests in the past, a picture-perfect tourist destination where life is set in stone. Instead, as you stroll the alleyways and narrow streets, you discover a vivacious Siena, vibrant with a contemporary culture scene that encompasses a 750-year-old University, as well as internationally prestigious institutions like the Accademia Musicale Chigiana, University for Foreigners and academies such as the Accademia dei Fisiocritici and Accademia degli Intronati.
Siena reached the pinnacle of its splendour in the Middle Ages, pitching the city against Florence in a centuries-long rivalry. These golden years saw the city accomplish its current appearance, at the height of its economic and historic development. In only a few decades the striking City Hall was erected, as too was the Torre del Mangia, the breathtakingly beautiful Piazza del Campo was paved with travertine ribs to design the distinctive shell shape, and the famous Cathedral was constructed, which the Sienese always intended to expand even further, plans that were eventually set aside due to the Black Death epidemic that struck the city in 1348. (Traces of the project can still be seen in Piazza Jacopo della Quercia, where you can make out the columns of what were supposed to become the new naves and the bigger facade.)
Siena stood up to the plague and refused to be cowed, and although its importance as a political centre yielded to the progress of Florence, the Sienesi have never relinquished their traditions. This is a city where every stone has stayed the same down the centuries thanks to the unique handing down of mysterious and spectacular customs through the generations. The most striking expression is the Palio, a twice-yearly occurrence in which the city's neighbourhoods, known as contrade, compete in an audacious horse race around the piazza del Campo. But even if you're not in town during the Palio days, you can still soak up the atmosphere by visiting the many museums ran by each of the contrade, where you can catch a glimpse of the old drapes and the ornaments that have colored the competition down the centuries. Among the myriad traditions treasured by this old Etruscan city, there's also the food. Siena boasts the sweetest variety of cakes and cookies in Tuscany: try the ricciarelli, panforte, pan pepato, budini di riso, cavallucci and copate. Once tasted, never forgotten!