Trekking in Tuscany | From Montalcino to Monte Oliveto Maggiore | Hiking trails in the Arbia and Ombrone valleys

The trail from From Montalcino to Monte Oliveto Maggiore is an itinerary in the great scenery of the Val d’Orcia and the Crete Senesi (literally Sienese clays), in a picture-perfect setting, just about 26 km north of Podere Santa Pia. traveling through the Val d'Orcia, vineyards come into view and Montalcino - the city of wine and home of Brunello - is there, dominating from the top of the hill, quietly waiting to enchant visitors with its winding streets, the Piazza del Popolo with the Palazzo dei Priori, the great military fortress, and the shops selling wine and sweets from ancient recipes. Montalcino deserves more than a stop, a microcosm of history and medieval events.

This itinerary starts in Montalcino at the Piazza Garibaldi and brings you to Porta Burelli where you leave the city.
This hike takes you to an astoundingly attractive area, the Crete Senesi, and to some of the most beautiful valleys in southern Tuscany. You walk along strade bianche or 'white streets', dotted with silvery olive orchards, small villages, and vineyards, passing some of finest wineries on the northern slopes of Montalcino.
There is no difficulty in following the track.

Montalcino

This itinerary from Montalcino to Monte Oliveto Maggiore starts on Parcheggio Viale Strozzi, on Via Pietra Strozzi (nearby the Chiesa della Madonna del Soccorso), takes you for a brief walk through the city, along the Piazza del Popolo, the main square of Montalcino, and leads you to the Porta Burelli where you leave town.

Montalcino - Via Francigena Toscana, Montalcino, Siena, Italy [2]

Tuscany is a land of a thousand faces: the dirt paths surrounded by a thousand cypress trees in the hills are a favourite destination for trekkers and cyclists.

Here you will find a unique panorama, perfect to be discovered slowly, at a walking pace, enjoying every magnificent view and the nature around you. Combine a healthy physical activity with the exploration of a wonderful area, and don't forget to stop at some of the wine cellars where you can taste the wine and products of this land!
Slowly, step by step, among nature, ancient abbeys and castles, vineyards and wheat fields, you will be able to enjoy these wonderful views and walk inside a postcard.

Map Montalcino - Monte Oliveto Maggiore | Enlarge map

Montalcino is known for some of the most spectacular wines found in Italy, Brunello di Montalcino. From Porta Burelli you follow the Strada Comunale del Canalicchio, passing the vineyards of La Gerla, ParaVal di Cava, Podere Collodini, Podere Viti, Comunità Incontro.
At km 9 you cross the Via Cassia, turn left and after 300 meters turn right, in the direction of Chiusure and the Abbey Monte Oliveto Maggiore. You pass by Podere Monte Landi, Podere Capannone, Podere Poggioli until you reach the Strada Provinciale di Pieve a Salti where you turn left.

At km 17,5, with Poggio dell’Amore on your left, you turn right. You walk along the typical unpaved white roads until you cross the famous Strada Bianca di Pieve a Salti (Strada Provinciale 75) that connects San Giovanni d'Asso with Buonconvento (km 15).
Turning left you walk on this dirt road for about 2,5 kms where you turn right.
Halfway this stretch, at km 16, you walk through the borgo Pieve a Salti where you could consider a lunch at Ristorante Podere Caprili (lunch: 12.30 - 14.00; dinner: 19.00 - 21.00 (open every Friday, Saturday, Sunday, bridges and public holidays and summer period June-September).

Directions

Download gpx tracks here

Lenghth: 27 km | 5,5 hours circa
Total climb 698 m
Total descent 940 m

The trail is descirbed also in the chapter Walking in the Crete Senesi, Montalcino - Buonconvento - Abbazia Monte Oliveto Maggiore.

You can aldo divide the long walk into two parts, a first part from Montalcino to Buonconvento (Pieve a Salti) and a second part from Pieve a Salti to Monte Oliveto Maggiore.

From Montalcino to Buonconvento
Download gpx tracks here

Lenghth: 16 km | 3 hours circa
Total climb 340 m
Total descent 611 m
From Buonconvento you can take a bus back to Montalcino. Timetable here.

You can also consider expanding your walk to a longer itinerary, and continue to the Abbey Monte Oliveto Maggiore. [Buonconvento - Abbazia Monte Oliveto Maggiore | Download gpx tracks here - Lenghth: 11.60 km | 2,5 hours circa].

Pieve a Salti

The village of Pieve a Salti lies along provincial road 17, near its confluence with the Traversa dei Monti. The village owes its toponym either to the ancient presence of a forest near the church, or to an ancient centre from Roman times.

Pieve a Salti [2]

The village's religious building is dedicated to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and consists of a single covered hall with a wooden truss ceiling; mentioned for the first time in some documents dating back to 715, it subsequently underwent several modifications, including the inversion of its orientation from the original one, with the opening of today's façade in the original back wall.
The unpaved road of Pieve a Salti (provincial road 75) connects San Giovanni d'Asso to Buonconvento, joining the provincial road 14 Traversa dei Monti in the section between the village and Torrenieri. The route covers the territory of the Crete Senesi between the Asso and Ombrone valleys, characterised by a nature that has remained almost untouched. Along the route, the villages of Pieve a Salti, in the municipality of Montalcino, and Percenna, in the territory of Buonconvento, are encountered.[3]

Agriturismo Pieve a Salti
Loc. Pieve a Salti
53022 Buonconvento (Siena) – Italy

Azienda Agricola Pieve a Salti
di Prandi Elena
Registered and administrative office:
Loc. Pieve a Salti 105/A
53024 Montalcino (SI)
ww.pieveasaltibio.it

Crete senesi, il borgo di Chiusure, situato nel comune di Asciano,

Il Borgo di Chiusure, un borgo medievale situato nel comune di Asciano, [1]

Pieve a Salti - Monte Oliveto Maggiore

This scenic walk leads from Pieve a Santi in the Val d'Arbia to the treasure of Crete Senesi: the Abbazia di Monte Oliveto, whose isolation is a visual metaphor for the solitude that inspires the monks and them to retreat from worldly pleasures. The abbey is set in a grandiose, expansive landscape of calanchi, and is somewhat camouflaged by the surrounding forests.

Crete senesi. I calanchi di Monte Oliveto Mahhiore e Chiusure

Calanchi nelle Crete Senesi, i calanchi di Monte Oliveto e Chiusure, Toscana [3]


Restaurants Montalcino Boccon Di Vino Ristorante di di Mario e Vanna Fiorani . Via Traversa dei Monti, 201, 53024 Montalcino 39 0577 848233 Il menu Menù Degustazione € 38.00 a persona Email info@boccondivinomontalcino.it - Website: www.boccondivinomontalcino.it Torrenieri Osteria dei Briganti e dei Poeti Osteria dei Briganti e dei Poeti Strada Provinciale 137, 53024 Torrenieri +39 329 604 6174 Website Facebook: www.facebook.com Pieve a Salti Ristorante Podere Caprili Agriturismo Pieve a Salti Loc. Pieve a Salti 53022 Buonconvento (Siena) Ristorante Podere Caprili Pranzo: 12.30 - 14.00 (Aperto ogni venerdì, sabato, domenica, ponti e festività e periodo estivo giugno- settembre). Cena: 19.00 - 21.00 Chiusure Locando Parediso Locando Parediso Via Porta Senese, 25, 53041 Chiusure Telefoon: +39 0577 707016

Photo Gallery Montalcino, Buonconvento and the Abbey of Monte oliveto Maggiore

Montalcino - Buonconvento - Via Francigena Toscana, Montalcino, Siena	Porta Burelli	Santa Maria delle Grazie, outside Porta Burelli, Montalcino

Brunello di Montalcino vineti e Monte Amiata	Brunello di Montalcino vineyards, Montalcino	Torrenieri, panorama

Monte Oliveto Maggiore	Monte Oliveto Maggiore, barbacane (1323-1526 restaurato nell'ottocento)	Il Sodoma, Ciclo di affreschi nel Chiostro Grande dell'Abbazia di Monte Oliveto Maggiore \| La Storie di san Benedetto di Monte Oliveto Maggiore
Crete Senesi trails Walking in the Crete Senesi \| Itineraries gpx Montalcino - Buonconvento - Abbazia Monte Oliveto Maggiore \| 27 km \| 5,5 hours circa Buonconvento - Abbazia Monte Oliveto Maggiore \| 11.60 km Anello Asciano \| 10,63 km \| gpx Anello Chiusure - Monte Oliveto Maggiore, Asciano \| 5,64 km Buonconvento - San-Quirico-d'Orcia \| Via Francigena \| 17 km Val d'Orcia WALKING TRAILS Walking in the Val d'Orcia \| The best hiking trails in and around Montalcino La Val d'Orcia \| Alla scoperta dei tesori d'Italia Travel guide for Tuscany \| Guide for Tuscany \| Val d'Orcia map Walking in Tuscany \| Val d'Orcia
Podere Santa Pia is an authentic holiday home in Castiglioncello Bandini, a small village in the south of Tuscany, situated halfway between Florence and Rome and close to Montalcino, Arcidosso, and Monte Amiata. The unspoiled landscape surrounding Podere Santa Pia is its most truly memorable feature. The horizons are open and the look is lost in rural Tuscany, through beautiful vineyards, olive groves, and the wild and untamed macchia mediterranea, completely natural vegetation, wonderful for walking and exploring. This wonderful farmhouse, located close to the historical village of Montalcino, has been skilfully restored respecting the original style and features, but also offering all the modern comforts. It is situated in a very panoramic and tranquil position, reached along a 2,7 ams private road. Case vacanza in Toscana \| Podere Santa Pia

Podere Santa Pia, mystic holiday home in the heart of the Tuscan Maremma, immersed in the vast and endless golden rolling hills of southern Tuscany


Podere Santa Pia	Podere Santa Pia	Podere Santa Pia

Colline sotto Podere Santa Pia con ampia vista sulla Maremma Grossetana
Close to the house is a unique private swimming pool (12 x 5 m). On the spacious terrace around the pool are sun loungers, tables, chairs.... This is also an ideal place for outdoor dining, to enjoy an apero or dinner al fresco. The views are truly stunning, with a unique view of the hills of the Tuscan Maremma and the Tyrrhenian Sea in the background.

Early morning light at the private swimming pool at Podere Santa Pia	A bigger splash in swimming pool at Podere Santa Pia, southern Tuscany	A bigger splash in the pool, Podere Santa Pia, Castiglioncello Bandini, Cinigiano, Tuscany

Podere Santa Pia, con una vista indimenticabile sulla Maremma Toscana
[1] Photo by Giorgio Galeotti, licensed under a CC BY 4.0 DEED Attribution 4.0 International license. [2] Photo by Glenn Nelson, published under a CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 DEED Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license. Some rights reserved. [3] Photo by Mirella Bruni, published under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) license. Copyright © Casa Vacanze Podere Santa Pia Except as permitted by the copyright law applicable to you, you may not reproduce or communicate any of the content on this website, including files downloadable from this website, without the permission of the copyright owner.