Tour of the Sienese
Through the gentle hills of Siena
Quick Info
- Country:
- Italy
- Region:
- Tuscany
- Spoken language:
- Italian
- Currency:
- Euro
- Documents:
Schengen Area: ID card or passport
Extra U.E.:short stays (3 months) passport valid at least three months after the departing date and if need be visa
- Power and Sockets:
- 230 V / 50 Hz - F Type Plug (Schuko) and L Type Plug

The province of Siena is certainly one of the most fascinating natural environments of the whole of Tuscany (and Italy), a “work of art” of absolute beauty made of heaven and earth, meadows and vineyards, flocks and farmhouses, parishes and villages that emerge as small islands in a great sea, but above all a place where nature well integrate itself with the work of man, who over the centuries has been able to perfectly integrate with it. The territory is geographically characterized by the hills of the Tuscan Antiapennines, which include the mountains and hills of Chianti to the northeast, the metalliferous hills to the west and the Sienese Crete to the south, with the reliefs of Mount Cetona and Mount Amiata. There are numerous valleys crossed by rivers, among which the most important are the Arabia, the Elsa, the Ombrone, the Merse, the Orcia, and the Paglia, two the lake basins, the Lago di Chiusi and the one of Montepulciano located to the south.
The province of Siena is divided into geographically homogeneous areas that have contributed to define administrative subdivisions over time; each area constitutes a “unicum” both from an environmental and landscape point of view. The Chianti, straddling the provinces of Florence, Siena and Arezzo, is the land of harmony, a place where the close relationship between man and nature has given birth to many small villages, parishes and farmhouses, today transformed into agritourisms. Between Siena and Florence, the Val D’elsa has distinguished itself since the Middle Ages for the manufacturing of glass and saffron (in its glassmakers young people arrived from all over Europe to learn the art of glass); it has a very suggestive natural scenery, full of vineyards and olive groves that offer products of great quality, famous all over the world. The Val D’orcia is also a land full of charm, flavours, fragrances and colours, with its hills, badlands, the sinuous course of the small river Orcia, the ordered rows of cypress trees and the quiet pace of the streets, all elements at the attention of the painters of the Sienese School of the Renaissance period and of the major writers of Italian and international literature; on the hills, villages and isolated monuments of extraordinary charm oak tree woods pop up here and there, olive groves, vineyards where Brunello and other great wines are produced.
The Val di Chiana, between the provinces of Arezzo and Siena in Tuscany, and between those of Perugia and Terni in Umbria, binds its history to the Etruscan civilization, whose memory accompanies the everyday life and is found in the customs, in the countryside traditions, in the most typical cuisine , in some vocabulary or in the names of places.
The Merse Valley is pure nature, green, uncontaminated, a land of discreet and reserved character that is discovered little by little; in it you can find thermal spas with hot water, like those of the famous Terme di Petriolo, the favourites of Pope Pius XII, but also nature reserves, like those of the Alta Merse. The Crete, southeast of Siena, represents one of the most beautiful landscapes of Italy; their clayey territory, crossed by sinuous roads, has an almost unreal fascination for the grey color of the Crete and for the yellow that tends to sunset orange, colors that change with the alternation of the seasons. Monte Amiata, included in the provinces of Siena and Grosseto, dominates from the top of its 1738 meters the surrounding valleys (Val d’orcia, Val di Paglia), the plain of the Maremma, the gentle hills of Siena and the lake of Bolsena.
This “world to itself” of the lands of Siena is home to, among other things, four symbol places declared World heritage of humanity by Unesco, namely the wonderful and famous Siena, City of the Palio, Pienza, the ideal city desired by Pius II, San Gimignano, the city of towers, and the wonders of Val D’orcia.
Walking trails, horseback trekking and urban trekking, itineraries for bikers and the romantic Trenonatura allow you to enjoy the immense natural patrimony of the lands of Siena, and to fully live the passion and strength that permeates these lands crossed by the Cassia, the historical route that connects Siena and Rome. For lovers of good food do not miss a surprise of flavors, the result of an agriculture where tradition is well matched with modernity, respecting the environment: 5 DOCG wines, 3 extra virgin olive oils (Terre dop di Siena, PDO Chianti Classico and PGI Toscano), but also salami, meat, spices, fruit, sweets, which contribute to the creation of tasty recipes for everyone. Those who are looking for a holiday in the name of relaxation and wellbeing know that the lands of Siena were also nicknamed “Lands of Water”, because of the fact that here the spa wellness is in its natural habitat, and can count on a wide choice of cutting edge services in unique places.