4 Days on Monte Amiata: A Chestnut-Season Loop Around the Volcano
Four days around Monte Amiata in chestnut season, from the Siena side’s abbey and mercury mines to the Grosseto side’s springs, prophets, and olive groves.
Abbadia San Salvatore: An Abbey, a Mine, and Christmas Fires
The abbey town of Monte Amiata: a crypt of more than thirty carved columns, the story of an English Bible, a mercury mine you can ride into, and bonfires on Christmas Eve.
Monte Amiata: Tuscany’s Volcano of Springs, Chestnuts, and Fire
Monte Amiata is an extinct volcano ringed by spring-fed villages, where chestnuts, mercury, and geothermal heat shaped daily life and winter is marked by fire.
Campiglia d’Orcia: A Ring-Shaped Village on a Limestone Rock
A village on a limestone outcrop above the Val d’Orcia, with a street plan older than the year 1000, a turbulent family of viscounts, and a chestnut festival run by its three districts.
Vivo d’Orcia: Hermits, a 22-Day Pope, and Siena’s Water
A small mountain village on Monte Amiata where medieval hermits prayed by the springs, a cardinal who reigned as pope for 22 days built his villa, and Siena found its water.
Piancastagnaio: A Palio, a Rocca, and a Town Named for Chestnuts
A Siena-side town on Monte Amiata, where four contrade race bareback every 18 August and the Crastatone celebrates the chestnut around 1 November.
Rocca d’Orcia: The Salimbeni Stronghold Where Saint Catherine Stayed
Rocca d’Orcia Tuscany: the Salimbeni fortress of Tentennano, Saint Catherine’s 1377 stay, and the private castle of Ripa d’Orcia. Plan your visit here.
Castiglione d’Orcia: Two Fortresses and a Madonna’s Swallow
Castiglione d’Orcia Tuscany: two fortresses on one ticket, a Simone Martini Madonna, and the valley’s oil cooperative. Plan your visit here.
San Quirico d’Orcia: An Emperor, a Pisano Portal, and a Garden
San Quirico d’Orcia Tuscany: Barbarossa’s 1155 visit, a Giovanni Pisano portal, and a Medici-era garden. Read our guide and plan your stop.
Bagno Vignoni: A Square of Hot Water Nobody Swims In
Bagno Vignoni Tuscany: a square built around a hot pool, mills that ground all summer, and the rules on bathing. Read before you visit.