Cypress trees in Val d'Orcia between Montalcino and San Quirico d'Orcia | Castelnuovo dell'Abate and Vivo d'Orcia | Podere Santa Pia, holiday home in Tuscany

Cypress trees in the Val d'Orcia

Tuscany is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Known for its enchanting landscapes, its fantastic and genuine food and beautiful towns as Florence, Pisa, Lucca and Siena.
Podere Santa Pia is an enchanting Tuscan farmhouse, nestled in the vineyards and olive groves of the rolling Maremma hills. This privileged location offers a spectacular vista over the charming medieval town of Cinigiano and the entire Ombrone Valley. It is the perfect place for your relaxing holiday with your friends and family. The property consists of 4 large bedrooms furnished in a classic Tuscan style and 2 bathroom with shower, a big full-equipment kitchen with a fireplace and a big living room and dining room. With its original kitchen and the wood burning pizza oven, Podere Santa Pia offers an upbeat atmosphere.

The symbols of the Val d'Orcia are the cypress-trees that dot the countryside. More than any other the cypress tree has become a symbol of the Val d'Orcia. Since ancient times it has been highly considered: it was worshipped by the Phoenicians who believed it represented the eternal flame, used by the Etruscans to adorn tombs, in the Book of Genesis it is the wood used to build Noah’s Arc, ancient Rome considered it a sacred tree and used the wood to sculpt religious figures destined to last for eternity, an example of this is the statue of Jupiter in the Campidoglio in Rome. The cypress is now present throughout the Mediterranean basin.

The Cypress trees are situated between Montalcino and San Quirico d'Orcia.


Enlarge map Val d'Orcia
Vivo d'Orcia, Eremo

Vivo d'Orcia \| Eremo in estate [Copyright All rights reserved by Bruno Brunelli]
Vivo d'Orcia is a splendid outlying district of Castiglion d'Orcia, set in a valley outside time. At the foot of the castle, the river Vivo runs whose sources rise in the locality of Ermicciolo. Starting in the middle ages flour-mills, paper-mills and ironworks were built along the torrent and, in the 1920’s, one of the first hydroelectric power stations. Traces of these old buildings, covered with climbing plants, may still be seen here in one of the area’s most beautiful and evocative landscapes. On the occasion of the Water Festival, held in Ermicciolo every 22nd March, you can visit the source of the Vivo which gushes out of the rocks. The walk from Ermicciolo to Eremo, along the river, is absolutely one of the finest in the Amiata area: you can stop at the little waterfalls and the dam in the middle of the woods, or the caves where partisans hid during the last war, or the archaeological sites that have brought to light finds dating to Mesolithic and Etruscan civilisations. You may even see one of the rare green woodpeckers whose sound is sometimes heard echoing among the centuries-old trees. The Vivo Valley is one of the few places on earth where you may be convinced that you’re still living in the middle ages. The name Vivo (meaning 'Alive') was adopted because of the lively, powerful industrial heart and from the wild and crashing river Vivo that ran through the village's six water-mills, once used for iron-works, olive crushing and fine paper production. The purity, power and potential of the river's water, pouring from the family's vast natural volcanic spring on Monte Amiata had long been harnessed by the Vatican who, via Pope Marcello II established a gigantic Papal Castle, using a rather illuminated architectural principal for its time, which aimed to make the Vatican's buildings more humble and more accessible to the local community Renaissance Palace (Palazzo), all designed by the famous 16th century architect of the Vatican Antonio da Sangallo for the Pope's living quarters. A Romanesque chapel and an extensive hermitage (Eremo) were also constructed to accommodate for a fascinating group of humble monks, known as the Camaldolesi, who first inhabited the caves that now form the foundations of the castle in 1,004 ad (500 years previously). Along with this impressive estate the church established one of the largest and finest industrial centres of the 16th century, way surpassing anything built up until that time.
The village of Bagni San Filippo owes its existence to the hot water springs whose therapeutic properties have been known since ancient times. It is believed that the spa dates back to Etruscan times and the existence of a settlement in the era of Imperial Rome is well documented. After scientific analysis of the waters in the XVIII century the popularity of the spa grew for treating skin problems, arthritis, rheumatism and disorders of the respiratory tract. At the beginning of the XIX century a new spa resort was built able to guest more people and within the village some buildings became hotels which still exist today. Well worth a visit is the Grotta San Filippo, carved from a block of travertine, it is reputed to have been the refuge of San Filippo Benizi in 1267 when trying to avoid being elected Pope. Nearby is the Fosso Bianco (photo) where the hot water springs flow down leaving calcareous deposits which over the centuries have transformed the hillsides into white rock naturally sculpted into varying shapes.		Bagno San Filippo
The hamlet of Bagno Vignoni dates back to Roman times and a Latin inscription on travertine rock, found on the left side of the spa establishment bears witness to this. The waters rise up from a depth of 1000 metres at a temperature of 52°C and flow into a stone pool which is 49mt in length by 29mt in width. Due to the high concentration of magnesium and calcium sulphate, the waters are particularly beneficial for treating disorders of the skin, bones and mucous membranes. Lorenzo il Magnifico of the Medici and Santa Caterina of Siena were regular visitors and the enchanting loggia which faces the pool was name after this saint.		Bagno Vignoni boasts one of Italy's most unique town squares
Villa La Foce is a serene, ochre-coloured building standing high above the vast, open landscape of the Val d'Orcia, its view stopped only by the rugged profile of Monte Amiata. The garden is a magnificent melange of English and Italian influences. The terraces, sturdy terracotta pots of lemons, wisteriacovered pergolas and neatly clipped parterres are all Italian, but the roses and herbaceous borders are quintessentially English. This delightful mixture was the result of close cooperation between Iris Origo, the AngloIrish author and historian famous for books such as The Merchant of Prato and War in Val d'Orcia, and an English architect, Cecil Pinsent. Countess Origo had grown up in Italy, but her gardening instincts were entirely English, and Pinsent worked in an Italianate style, taking his inspiration from the beautiful Baroque gardens of the 17th century. La Foce has belonged to the Origo family ever since Count and Countess Origo bought the 3,OOO-acre estate in 1924. It was a desolate place in those days. The house stood on a bare, windswept ridge, the land was starved, erosion had stripped the soil from the high ground and most of the estate buildings were derelict. The couple were committed to transforming this bleak landscape and the lives of its inhabitants, and gradually restored the fertility of the soil, arrested the erosion and planted trees. Pinsent was commissioned to add a new wing to the Origos' 15th-century farmhouse. He helped them to improve life for the tenants on the estate by refurbishing houses and designing a new clinic and kindergarten.		Villa La Foce

Villa La Foce estate
Pinsent designed numerous gardens in Tuscany, but none is as successful as La Face, where the garden evolved gradually, in a slow, meditative process that lasted for 15 years. The next phase of his design was the lemon garden, where he cut the gentle slope into a series of generous terraces that sit comfortably in the vast contours of the surrounding landscape. He furnished the lemon garden with some very Tuscan parterres in clipped box, and large terracotta pots of lemons that stand on stone plinths inside the box hedges. Once this structure was in place, Countess Origo stepped in to complete the planting. She made beds around the perimeter of the lemon garden and filled them with peonies, irises and lilies. She covered the walls in climbing roses, jasmine and honeysuckle. The weather can be extreme in Tuscany, and she had much to learn. Looking back at more than five decades of gardening, she wrote: 'Gradually, by experience and failure, I learned what would and would not stand our cold winters and the hot, dry summer winds. I gave up any attempt, in my borders, at growing delphiniums, lupins or phlox, as well as many other herbaceous plants; and I learned to put our lemon trees, plumbago and jasmine under shelter before the winter. But roses flourish in the heavy, clay soil, and so do peonies and lilies, while the dry hillside is where lavender thrives, a blue sea in June.' Countess Origo died in 1988, but her beautiful garden continues to evolve naturally, without undue nostalgia for the past.[1]
Opening hours: the garden is open to the public every Wednesday afternoon. Guided tours leave from the Fattoria courtyard every hour from 3 to 7 PM (April-September) and 3 to 5 PM (October-March). Gardens in Tuscany \| Villa La Foce Villa La Foce Estate \| La Foce - 61, Strada della Vittoria -53042 Chianciano Terme - Siena \| www.lafoce.com

[1] Source: Country Life, April 21, 2010 Historic Centre of the City of Pienza \| whc.unesco.org Helena Attlee, Italy's Private Gardens: An Inside View, Frances Lincoln Limited 2010, London, pp 103-113
A picture-perfect Tuscan farmhouse, Podere Santa Pia and its old stone walls blend beautifully into the vine-smothered hills of southern Tuscany. The farmhouse has been renovated and provided with all modern comforts, with an eye to preserve the typical and charming elements of these rural lodgings. There you have, then, cosy and warm rooms with traditional terracotta-tiled floors, stone walls and wood-beamed ceilings. And the kitchen, furnished for pleasant meals with traditional Tuscan dishes (bread soup or "ribollita", tomato soup, "fettunta", Florentine-style steak, stewed wild boar, cinta senese cured meat, and other Tuscan specialities). The kitchen complete with wood-burning fireplace and pizza oven, opens onto a vast terrace with stunning views over the countryside. The impressive garden (9000 square mt.) allows you to enjoy a relaxing holiday and is perfect for taking time out and lounging about while sipping on a glass of local wines, Montecucco DOC and Brunello DOC. The nearby village Montalcino offers plenty of restaurants and as this is the prime areas for producing Brunello, wine here is in abundance. Sitting in the garden, one can enjoy our dawns and dusks, with their jubilee of colours ranging from dark yellow to pink, orange and red. In this scenario, it is often possible to observe the flight of pheasants, falcons and buzzards, great tits, chaffinches and sparrows. This is an enchanting place far from noise, ideal to regenerate body and mind, where one has the opportunity enjoy pleasant walks or rides on mountain bike. The summer breeze that caresses Podere Santa Pia guarantees "cool" holidays even in the hottest weather. Villas in Tuscany\| Farmhouses in Tuscany \| Podere Santa Pia


Palazzo Cervini, Vivo d'Orcia	Cortona	Montalcino


Walking in Tuscany \| Walking in the Val d'Orcia [2] Vivo d'Orcia - Vivo d'Orcia Castelnuovo dell'Abate - Vivo d'Orcia Santa Pia is located 3 km from Castigliocello Bandini, 15 km from Abazziia San 't Antimo and Montalcino, close to art cities like Siena, Pienza, Montepulciano and San Quirico d'Orcia, and 1 hour away from the seaside. Grosseto is Tuscany`s most southernly province and is considered to be the capital of Tuscan Maremma. Grosseto is the most southern Tuscan province. The town is situated about 12 kilometres from the sea, in the heart of Tuscan Maremma, a wide alluvial plain. In the past, the lake Prile spread over most of this territory. The lake has almost disappeared due to the drainage works undertaken in this area during the centuries. The various natural reserves surrounding Grosseto witness nonetheless Maremma`s past as a marshland. South of Grosseto flows the Ombrone, the most important river in southern Tuscany. At the river mouth there is the Parco dell`Uccellina. The ancient city walls built in 1574 under Grand Duke Francesco I de` Medici still surround its historical centre. Situated in a former marshland that was once infested with malaria, at present the province of Grosseto is a real paradise for those who love culture, nature and good cuisine. Grosseto countryside is scattered with ancient Etruscan towns, such as Roselle, Populonia and Vetulonia. Those who love nature can visit the Parco Naturale della Maremma (Maremma Natural Park), the Riserva Naturale Diaccia Botrona (Diaccia Botrona Nature Reserve) and the Parco Nazionale dell`Arcipelago Toscano (Tuscan Archipelago National Park) and spot some dolphins and whales in the Santuario dei Cetacei (Cetacea Sanctuary). Principina a Mare and Orbetello lagoon are renowned seaside resorts, whereas in the interior there is Saturnia with its famous spas.
Walking in Tuscany \| San Quirico d'Orcia, Bagni Vignoni, Castiglione d'Orcia, Rocca d'Orcia, Montalcino, La Foce Vivo d'Orcia - Vivo d'Orcia From Vivo d'Orcia we start downhill toward the white-fir forest of Vivo d'Orcia, one of the last remaining in Tuscany of this kind. Follow the indication Contea del Vivo/Eremo and take the Via Amiata becomes Via dell'Eremo. At the end of the road we cross the bridge over the Vivo stream passing under a stone arch that leads to the Borgo dell'Eremo. Castelnuovo dell'Abate - Vivo d'Orcia This spectacular itinerary descends from the Abbazia di Sant'Antimo, surrounded by silence and Brunello vineyards, then climbs up the pristine slopes of Monte Amiata, an ancient extinct volcano. The trip ends up in Vivo d'Orcia, one of the most well-conserved and verdant localities in Tuscany, charged with energy from the volcano. Castiglione d'Orcia - Castiglione d'Orcia The itinerary starts on a downslope and ends uphill. From the hamlet of Castiglione d'Orcia we get to the bottom of the Orcia valley which is characterized by a wild environment where no means of transport are possible. It predominantly unfolds on dirt tracks. For the mountain bike enthusiasts it doesn't show any technical difficulties even though the downslope, specially in the first part, is very steep and the climbing back up is quite challenging.		Borgo dell'Eremo and Chiesa di San Marcello

The Asciano-Monte Antico railway
Nature Train in the Siena region “Southern Tuscany boasts unspoiled landscape of rare beauty. Those who like to look around can easily spot animals and plants, which have almost disappeared everywhere else, admire the morphology featuring smooth soft valleys together with ragged rocks and cretaceous erosions. The cultivated fields seem to compete continuously against the Mediterranean scrub, in an array of colours that change with seasons. This is the enchanting scenery which Nature Train passes through, along rivers and streams, on the crests of the hills and the like, in direct contact with flora and fauna of the Crete Senese, of the d’Orcia valley, the Ombrone valley and the Grosseto plain” Stefano Maggi Manager of the voluntary Organisation Ferrovia Val 'Orcia (Val ‘Orcia Railway) Trenonatura is both an old and a new way to calmly experience the joys of a railway trip. Visitors can admire the scenery, lose themselves in the unspoiled nature and discover artistic treasures. The trip is on diesel or steam trains and the route passes through the south of Tuscany, between the provinces of Siena and Grosseto. The traveller can choose times and organize the journey at his/her own pace and leisure and even leave the train to continue on horseback, bike, mountain bike, or even on foot. Travellers might even like to stop for a good lunch at a farm holiday establishment. The Nature Train project was started in 1991 by the Province of Siena with the collaboration of the F.S. (State Railway) and the Club Alpino Italiano (Italian Alpine Club) with the idea to promote a new “train and Trekking” leisure activity. It was further extended in 1996 with a regular service between Asciano and Monte Antico on 15 Sundays and public holidays during the months of May, June, September and October, ensuring connections with normal railway services in Siena, Asciano and Monte Antico. By doing so, the service can now be easily reached from Florence, Rome or the Maremma. A daily ticket valid for all trains of the railway circuit, allows each traveller to chose his/her own itinerary, returning to the station of departure at any time and stopping at leisure during the journey. The Ferrovia Val d’Orcia is in charge of the sale of the tickets, of assisting travellers on the trains and of promoting Nature Train and the attractions that can be found in the territory crossed by the railway. Along the journey you will encounter copses with turkey oak, ilex and durmast oak and an area near Montaperto which was the setting of the famous battle described by Dante Alighieri. You will pass rows of cypresses and pines, the Brunello vineyards, wild boars and roe deer. San Giovanni d’Asso, famous for its truffles, is also along the track. Village fairs abound in the towns touched by the Nature Train: in Arbia Arbianatura in April, The Settembre Ascianese in Asciano, Buonconvento Valdarbia festival in September, the 1st of May fair in S.Angelo, Serremaggio in Serre in May, the Festa dello Scricchio in San Giovanni d’Asso in April. Building on the success of the 2001 season the Trenonatura project, with its old diesel trains dating from the fifties and on some days even steam trains, has gone on to add many new features that provide the tourist with a special experience of the enchanting Tuscan landscapes. Footpaths connecting the various stations have been laid out by the Club Alpino Italiano, horse-drawn carriages are available, local restaurants are scattered on the way, village fairs can be visited, as well as the main works of art. The park of Monte Amiata, the enchanting animated nativity scene (seventy-two moving figurines) staged by the F.V.O. voluntary workers in the station of Siena are all along the route. The Nature Train is promoted by the administration of the Province of Siena in collaboration with the Ferrovie dello Stato (Italian State Railways) and run by the Parco della Val D’Orcia with the Ferrovia Val d’Orcia voluntary Association, the APT Provinciali and the Siena branch of the Club Alpino Italiano. It also aims to revive what is a secondary train line and not used for normal services. The Nature Train is the first step in a project to bring together rail, environment and tourism. Nature, charm, culture, peacefulness, trekking, mountain biking, wine and food are what come to greet you with Nature Train. Travel on period and steam engines on a railway tract only available for tourists. Across the Crete Senesi, the d’Orcia Valley, the high Maremma, on the Siena –Asciano – Monte Antico line. The ticket for the entire circular journey is 13 € if one travels on the 990 or 773 diesel engines, built in 1954 and in 1956. But one can also choose to travel on the days when the real attraction is present: a 1911 locomotive, the first heated steam locomotive made by Breda, Milan (only 4 in Italy at present). The cost for this journey is € 21 and it is advisable to contact the station of Siena (0577/207413) for the full timetable. Source: www.intoscana.it
For information and reservations: FVO - Ferrovia Val d’Orcia e-mail: trenonatura@ferrovieturistiche.it Ph: +39 0577 207413 - +39 338 8992577 Address: Arcidosso, 58031 Arcidosso (GR) Nature Train in the Siena region is an initiative of the Siena Province, State Railways, Club Alpino Italian and Orcia Rail Network.