The history of Amiata covers a vast period: the Etruscans, the early and late Middle Ages, modern and finally contemporary times.Churches and castles, picturesque villages, tombs thousands of years old, all cast their spells.
DAY 1 Arrival
Arrive at the hotel and check in to your room. While you are enjoying an aperitif your tour leader will talk about the tour. Typical local dishes will be served at dinner together with specially selected wines from the surrounding area. After dinner Cesare Moroni will talk about Monte Amiata and illustrate his talk with slides.
DAY 2 The Etruscans in Tuscany
The first trip will be to Sorano where we shall visit the Etruscan necropolis dating back to the fourth century B.C.Then we shall walk along the roads hewn out of the living rock to the village itself, where you will be able to see the fascinating architecture of the castle and the houses, fused into a unified setting. Next, Pitigliano, a small town with a unique history where past meets present; medieval architecture merges with Etruscan grottoes carved out of the living rock.We lunch in the old centre at the “Ceccottino” restaurant where we will also be able to taste the famous white Pitigliano DOC. In the afternoon a visit to Palazzo Orsini, principal seat of the Aldobrandeschi family in the Middle Ages.Events surrounding the great traveller, Nicolo III, an officer in the Venetian army are also of great interest. There is also a Jewish quarter in Pitigliano called “La Piccola Gerusalemme” (little Jerusalem), and it was the most important Jewish settlement in this area although there were others at Santa Fiora and Piancastagnaio.Many things remind us of them. In the late afternoon return to the hotel for dinner.
DAY 3 Monte Amiata’s Romantic Villages
This morning our route will take us along the “anello dell’Amiata” starting in Abbadia San Salvatore, an extremely old village whose Abbey, founded in the eighth century by King Rachis, a Lombard, is particularly interesting.While he was advancing on Rome with his army he camped near the Via Francigena (which ran from France down to Rome)and went hunting on Monte Amiata where he had a vision of Our Saviour and so decided to build a monastery there in His honour.At the height of its greatest influence, at the end of the twelfth century, it owned a great deal of land and the community numbered over 300 monks.They developedknowledge of plants and foodstuffs.It was also Pope Pius II’s summer residence.He came originally from Pienza. There is a fantastic crypt under the church, the earliest part of it. There is something magical about the village which is undoubtedly of one Tuscany’s hidden treasures. The discovery of cinnabar, from which mercury is extracted, in the mid nineteenth century led to an industrial revolution that changed the village into one of the most important mining centres in the world.The museum illustrates this epoch. Lunch at the “Gatto e la Volpe” (The Cat and the Fox) restaurant with traditional dishes from Abbadia San Salvatore. Afternoon visit to Santa Fiora.The villages on Amiata are very different: some mystical, others exciting, but Santa Fiora is the most romantic and poetic of them all.Even Dante mentions it in Canto XI of Purgatory. The Aldobrandeschi, one of the most powerful Ghibelline families in the Middle Ages, is at the centre of Santa Fiora’s history.We shall visit the Pieve (Parish) church to see the glazed terra-cottas by Luca and Andrea della Robbia, commissioned while Bosio Sforza, Cecilia Aldobrandeschi’s husband was the governor.It was during this period that Santa Fiora even minted its own coinage.We shall stroll through the picturesque streets down to the Parco della Peschiera - the Count’s fish pond for breeding trout.And it is worth seeing the little church of the Madonna delle Nevi which is built over the spring of the river Fiora. After the demise of the Aldobrandeschis, Santa Fiora declined rapidly in importance, so much so that today we see it only as it was 500 years ago. Leave for the hotel in the late afternoon, followed by dinner.
DAY 4 The Etruscans at Chiusi
This morning we visit Chiusi, one of the most important towns in Etruscan times.There is a rich and extensive archaeological zone and a particularly interesting museum.There will be plenty of free time for shopping. Dinner will be at the hotel after our return.
DAY 5 Castel del Piano’s ancient cellars, The Castle of Potentino, Daniel Spoerri’s Garden
Castel del Piano is a fascinating place known not only as the capital of Montecucco DOC, but also for its amazing subterranean cellars. We start the day with a visit to the old part with its outstanding views over the valley.There are numerous frescoes and paintings by the Nasini brothers, a famous family of artists from Monte Amiata, in the church of La Madonna delle Carita (Our Lady of Charity).And we must certainly pay a visit to Casa Corsini with its beautiful cellar, and the town hall’s cellar, the most imposing of them all, used for exhibitions. After a short coach trip we shall reach the turning to the Castello di Potentino.To reach the castle itself we shall have to walk a short distance, but the effort will be amply rewarded.A visit to it, now owned by an English family called Greene, is extremely interesting.We shall lunch with Sally and Charlotte in the Castle’s magical atmosphere, and taste the wine they produce, “Il Sacromonte” (the sacred mountain), a Montecucco DOC.Then we shall go onto Daniel Spoerri’s garden nearby.Founded in 1992, to exhibit a series of contemporary sculptures by internationally famous artists, it covers eight hectares.A visit lasts about two hours. Return to the hotel in the late afternoon.
DAY 6 The Aldobrandeschi’s at Arcidosso and Montecucco Wine
In the morning, leave for Arcidosso.We shall walk through the old centre along the beautiful Via Talassese and on to the Aldobrandeschi castle where there is a superb view from the top of the tower.Next, Mirco will await us at the Camarri oil press.Here they use the traditional huge stone millwheels to press the oil.We shall sample two of their oils: ‘Gocce di Lunai’, made exclusively from “Olivastra Seggianese” olives and the other, ‘Armonia’, made from a mixture of several varieties of olive trees in the area. Our next visit is to the church “Pieve Ad La Mulas”.Legend has it that while a group of soldiers from Arcidosso were returning home driving mules and donkeys laden with their farm tools, one of the mules suddenly left the rest and knelt down on a stone while the shining figure of The Saviour appeared in front of it.And so it was decided that a church should be erected on the spot and today you can still see the imprint of the mule’s knees in the doorstep. Monticello Amiata, a small medieval village on top of a hill dominating the Val D’Orcia and the Maremma, is our next port of call.We lunch in a traditional restaurant, and in the afternoon visit the CasaMuseum which records what life was like in the nineteenth century. From here we shall wind down a wonderfully panoramic road to the Val D’Orcia and Montenero, where we shall visit Dario’s estate, “Il Trottolo” .He may be the smallest producer of Montecucco DOC, but his intuitive skill means that he produces a truly excellent wine. Return to the hotel in the late afternoon for dinner.
DAY 7 Montalcino and its famous Brunello wine
A morning visit to Montalcino, including a visit to the “Fortezza” (Fort) and free time to wander round the shops.This stunning medieval city is one of the world’s wine capitals.The countryside is very special:undulating hills covered with vines and cypress trees with beautiful stone houses on the summits. Then we shall head for Castel Nuovo dell’ Abate for lunch. In the afternoon a visit to the abbey, Sant’Antimo, partly built of glowing alabaster.This abbey is now home to Cistercian monks who sing all the Offices of the day.We head for the hotel in the late afternoon and dine there.