Numerous festivals are a characteristic of this area. In Spring they are mainly religious or linked to medieval times, but in the Autumn they usher in the best period for mushroomsand the wine, chestnut and olive harvests. Stalls for tasting local produce and evening dances are organized in every village to herald an auspicious beginning and end of the harvest. So we would like to introduce you to one of the best of these festivals, “Il Castratone“ at Piancastagnaio.
DAY 1 Arrival.
Guests will arrive at the hotel in the late afternoon. Having checked in to your room you will be welcomed by your tour leader for a cocktail during which he/she will talk about the programme. At dinner local wines and dishes will be served. After dinner Cesare Moroni will show photographs to introduce you to this area.
DAY 2 Il Castratone
In the morning after breakfast we set out for the medieval village, Abbadia San Salvatore. A walk past its old houses will bring us to the famous Abbey with its beautiful eighth century crypt. Then we visit the Pinzi Pinzuti estate, famous for its cheeses, wine and oil.Barbara will show us how pecorino cheeses are made. (Pecorino is a cheese made from sheep’s milk.) Lunch will be at the “Gatto e la Volpe” (the Cat and the Fox) restaurant. In the afternoon we go on to Piancastagnaia, and having visited the magnificent Aldobrandeschi bastion we shall wander along the village streets, full of stalls showing off chestnuts, or depicting historical events. The whole village is decorated in medieval style for the festival. Return to the hotel for dinner.
DAY 3 Chestnuts and ovens
After breakfast, a visit to an old “Seccatoio” (a stone building designed specifically to dry chestnuts before they are ground into flour) on the “Strada della Castagna” (The Chestnut Way).A visit to Castel del Piano follows with its cellars excavated during the Middle Ages which run under the village.The most interesting visit will be to the Corsini biscuit factory where we shall sample biscuits made of chestnut flour and “Polendina” (a cake made of chestnut flour and covered in powdered chocolate), both typical of Monte Amiata. Lunch will be in a restaurant that serves typical dishes, followed by final departure.