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Montisi, on the boundary between the Val d'Orcia and the Crete Senesi
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Podere Santa Pia is a beautiful stone farmhouse in southern Tuscany. Located on the outskirts of Castiglioncello Bandini, in a hilly and unspoilt land, Podere Santa Pia is a former small cloister offering the quiet tranquility of a private retreat, with numerous attractions and beautiful nature reserves within easy reach. The most interesting artistic, historical and cultural sites of southern Tuscany are nearby, and are awaiting your discovery.
Montisi, in the Crete senesi
Montisi is situated on the boundary between the Val d'Orcia and the Crete Senesi, near Pienza and San Giovanni d'Asso. Since 2017 Montisi is part of the municipality of Montalcino, until then it was a frazione of San Giovanni d'Asso.
History
Montisi has ancient roots: in fact it arose in the Middle Ages on the site of an ancient Etruscan necropolis. In 1291, the Lord of Montisi Simon Cacciaconti degli Scialenga recaptured the village, destroying most homes and robbing all the farms. But when he died in 1295, left most of his possessions to the Spedale di Santa Maria della Scala, who built a grange. At the end of the 14th century, Montisi became an independent comune and so remained until 1777, when it became at the first a frazione of Trequanda, and, after various vicissitudes due to the water supply, of San Giovanni d'Asso. From January 2017, the municipalities of San Giovanni d'Asso and Montalcino were united into one comune.
Biancane or badlands in the Crete Senesi
The magnificent hills of the Crete Senesi offer endless views with evocative and suggestive landscapes. Typical conformations of the land are the badlands, the calanchi and biancane that give the landscape its characteristic gray color and a sometimes lunar appearance.
Hiking or biking in the Crete Senesi is another great way to to see this unusual landscape. We selected some of the best tracks here.
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Just across the border of the Val d’Orcia, but still within the spectacular panoramic scenery of this World Heritage site, is the circular walk from Montisi to Montelifrè, an itinerary in the great scenery of the Crete Senesi. In addition to the visit of Montisi and it'sbeautiful historic center, there is the ruined Castle of Montelifrè and panoramic views of the Crete Senesi.
Download gpx here
Lenghth: 9,59 km, about 2 hours
Total climb 532 m
Total descent 532 m
This evocative itinerary starts and ends in Montisi and covers the hills of the Crete Senesi in the Municipality of Montalcino (until 2016 San Giovanni d'Asso was an independent comune) and offers spectacular views of the clay hills with colors and light changing from hour to hour, and from season to season.
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Castello Montelifrè, entrance lane [1]
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Galleria fotografica Montelifrè e Montalcino
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Ruins of Montelifrè
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Montelifrè
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Veduta al tramonto di Montelifrè, in provincia di Siena, dalla strada per Montisi
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Collegiata di Sant'Agata, Asciano
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Crete Senesi (laghi tra Castello Leonina e Vescona, Crete Senesi, Asciano)
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Paesaggio tra le Crete senesi e la Val d'Orcia
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Crete Senesi presso Asciano
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Deserto di Accona
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Biancane nelle Crete Senesi vicino a Monte Oliveto Maggiore
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According to legend, the name Montisi can be traced back to the presence of a pagan temple dedicated to Isis in the area. However, the first document confirming the existence of Montisi is the one in which the Counts of Scialenga signed a peace treaty with Siena in 1175, in which they promised to offer a candle annually in recognition of Siena's sovereignty over the castle. Their loyalty to Siena was confirmed in 1198 and again in 1213. Documents from the thirteenth century attest that Montisi was organized as a municipality, at least from the end of the thirteenth century. In 1289, Siena ordered the demolition of the castle walls, which had sheltered Ghibelline exiles; however, the walls were soon rebuilt. From the end of the fourteenth century, the castle also served as the seat of a vicariate. In 1291, the revenues of the castle, which by then had grown into a village, were divided among three brothers of the Cacciaconti family: Simone, Fazio, and Cacciaconte. In 1295, Simone donated his share to the Hospital of Santa Maria della Scala in Siena. In the following years, this hospital acquired a large part of the land surrounding the village and built a "grancia" there—a large farm with storage facilities for the harvest. The fortifications probably date from the late 14th century. In 1775, as part of the expropriations ordered by Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo, the grancia was also taken from Santa Maria della Scala. Three years later, it came into the hands of Iacopo Mannucci Benincasa, who managed to assert the rights as an old grancere (estate). The grancia is still in the possession of the heirs of the Benincasa family. An 18th-century document described the Grancia as "a magnificent fortress used as a palace, with a tower and several outer gates, a drawbridge, and a central courtyard beneath which lies a large walled well. This palace is surrounded by moats and trenches, with all the features reminiscent of a fortress. Within these ramparts are various dwellings, such as granaries, cellars, etc." During the Second World War, in June 1944, the tower of the Grancia was destroyed by German bombing. Even today, the Grancia still houses a small theater, built at the end of the 19th century by Rosa Mannucci Benincasa and recently renovated. During the Second World War, the theater halls were used as accommodation for evacuees, and immediately after the war, they became the site of a kindergarten. [4]
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Exterior view of the Grancia di Santa Maria della Scala, Montisi, province of Siena. While the main entrance to the former fortified farm is visible in the center, to the right is the buildi[1]
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Teatro della Grancia di Montisi [3]
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The Teatro della Grancia di Montisi is one of the smallest historic theaters in the world. This intimate theater has a surface area of ??only 60 square meters and a total of 68 seats. It is hidden away within the larger fortified Grancia di Montisi.
In 2005, the theater was completely restored and brought back to its former glory.
Today, the theater is fully operational again. Management and artistic programming are handled by the theater organization TeatrinodesiFondi. Small-scale plays, concerts, and cultural events are regularly organized.
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Teatro della Grancia - Montisi SI - Teatrino dei Fondi | www.teatrinodeifondi.it
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| Music in Montisi |
In summer months, the otherwise silent spaces of the Crete Senesi in southern Tuscany are filled with music, thanks to a number of fine festivals. Among them the Festival estivo di Accademia Chigiana, the Collegium Vocale Crete Senesi Festival and the Piccola Accademia di Montisi.
Music in Tuscany | Piccola Accademia di Montisi
Located in a hilltop medieval village in southern Tuscany, the Piccola Accademia di Montisi has been founded to provide a center of inspiration for musicians worldwide who have an interest in the harpsichord, its repertoire and its history.
The Piccola Accademia was founded in 2007 by Bruce Kennedy, harpsichord maker. The home of the Piccola Accademia is located in the 13th C. Castello di Montisi. The major part of the harpsichord collection is housed here for student practice.
Kennedy Harpsichords l Website Bruce Kennedy
Kennedy Harpsichords is a small workshop in the nearby village of Castelmuzio, building harpsichords and clavichords after 17th and 18th Century historical models.
Piccola Accademia di Montisi
Viale della Rimembranza
Castelmuzio (SI) 53020, Italy
Bruce Kennedy, Executive Director
Email: piccolaaccademia@mac.com
Bruce Kennedy Bio
Juilliard at the Piccola Accademia
Juilliard at the Piccola Accademia is a weeklong, full-scholarship, intensive summer chamber music program for period instrumentalists.
2019 | June 30 - July 6, 2019
For 2019, the workshop’s theme is the music of Telemann and the French style, with a focus on historical improvisation, rhetorical delivery, and the art of creating a vivid and persuasive performance.
Collegium Vocale Crete Senesi
Since 2017, the music festival Collegium Vocale Crete Senesi (formarly the Accademia delle Crete Senesi festival) is organized by Collegium Vocale Ghent.
Website | www.collegiumvocalecretesenesi.com | Program | Locations
The badlands of Tuscany| Calanchi e biancane | Un tesoro della natura
Het unieke landschap van de Crete Senesi`
Crete Senesi | Biancane nelle Crete Senesi
Trekking in Toscana | The Crete Senesi
Montalcino - Buonconvento - Abbazia Monte Oliveto Maggiore | 27 km | 5,5 hours circa
Buonconvento - Abbazia Monte Oliveto Maggiore | 11.60 km
Anello Chiusure - Monte Oliveto Maggiore, Asciano | 5,64 km
Buonconvento - San-Quirico-d'Orcia | Via Francigena | 17 km
Siena - Ponte d'Arbia - Buonconvento | Via Francigena | 26 km - 5 hours
Corsano - Ponte d'Arbia | 19 km
From Montalcino to Buonconvento | 16 km | 3 hours circa
Trekking in Trequanda | Anello Trequanda – Petroio – Montisi – Montelifré | 18 km - 3h 39m
Podere Santa Pia is a beautiful stone farmhouse only 2 km away from Castiglioncello Bandini. The main house is spacious, comfortable and well furnished and offers its guests a breathtaking view over the Maremma hills. Podere Santa Pia is surrounded by a backdrop of hills and macchia mediterranea: wild, untamed and completely natural vegetation, wonderful for walking and exploring on a variety of different terrain with fantastic views everywhere you turn.
Montisi and the Crete Senesi are located north of Podere Santa Pia. The suggestive road to Montisi goes along the abbey of Sant'Antimo, Montalcino and Sant'Anna in Camprena.
Traveling in Tuscany | Holiday homes in southern Tuscany | Podere Santa Pia
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Podere Santa Pia, mystic holiday home in the heart of the Tuscan Maremma
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A beautiful early evening by the pool, in the resplendent Tuscan sun, time takes on a languid quality
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Vista da Podere Santa Pia, fino al mare e Montecristo
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The pool, an azure jewel nestled amidst the verdant Tuscan hills, beckoned with its shimmering waters, a siren's call to cool serenity. It was a liquid oasis, where the reflections of swaying cypress trees and fluttering butterflies merged into a dance of light and shadow.
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Early morning light at the private swimming pool at Podere Santa Pia
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A beautiful spring morning by the pool, a natural jewel nestled amidst the verdant Tuscan hill
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The night pool at Podere Santa Pia exudes a hypnotic sense of purity
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Montisi, bellissimo borgo medievale tra Crete Senesi e Val d'Orcia [2]
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[1] Foto di LigaDue, licenziato in base ai termini della licenza Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International.
[2] Photo by Andreas Zachmann, published under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) license.
[1] Foto di Tarasov, licenziato in base ai termini della licenza the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported.
Montisi, map
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