The Palio

kilometres: 100

How to reach

from Siena take the SS 73 to Sovicille. Continue to Frosini to arrive to San Galgano. From San Galgano follow the SS 73 till the beginning of the SS 541 to Colle Val d'Elsa. From Colle Val d'Elsa turn to San Gimignano. Go back at Colle Val d'Elsa and go to Staggia, then take the SS 2 to Abbadia Isola and Monteriggioni.

Sovicille

Rises on the eastern part of the Sienese Montagnola and has played a remarkable role in the history of Republic of Siena. One of the main monuments of the Sovicille area is the Church Ponte allo Spino (dedicated to St. John Baptiste), romanic building with three naves close to the remains of a gothic cloister.

San Galgano - Hour: 08.00 - 12.00/14.00 - till the sunset

It was once one of the most important monasteries in Tuscany. After becoming a Cistercian monk, the former knight Galgano Guidotti had a chapel built on Monte Siepi in about 1180, and he later died there as hermit. The Cistercian monks later managed to build an oratory and a building in honour of Galgano (who had in the meantime been sanctified) thus giving birth to the Monastero di San Galgano, a splendid building and one of the finest examples of Italian Gothic-Cistercian architecture. The power of the monastery quickly grew, and it soon absorbed the surrounding Benedictine abbeys. The abbey was attacked and devastated in the 14th century by troops under the command of Giovanni Acuto, and a century later a period of decline began which culminated in the decision to abolish the monastic orders. In 1816 the monastery was used for the construction of a farm. Anyone visiting the ruins of the abbey nowadays will be overwhelmed by the imposing walls of the now-roofless building; built in brick and travertine, they have remained standing over the centuries and are tangible evidence of the economic power of the community. The light coming in through the gaps in the walls, the clear view of the sky where once there was a roof, and the floor which is nothing but grass give the place an incredible atmosphere, especially at sunset.

Colle Val d'Elsa

Spread over three gradients, Borgo, Castello and Piano (the Village, Castle and Plain), Colle di Val d'Elsa is famous today for its production of fine handcrafted crystal, but it is also an important tourist destination. The Village is entered through the monumental Porta Nova and winds its long and narrow way in a sequence of fine 16th and 17th century noble houses to the magnificent, though unfinished, Palazzo Campana, which marks the entry to the Castle, the oldest part of Colle. Here, the atmosphere suddenly changes: narrow paved lanes, fascinating tower-houses (among these stands the one where Amolfo di Cambio was born), steeply sloping streets and flights of steps. Piazza del Duomo is overlooked by the Praetorial Court, the seat of the Archaeological Museum, the Cathedral, the Bishops's Palle, housing the Museum of Sacred Art, and the picturesque Via delle Volte, the most characteristic corner of the town. Passing little churches and 13th-century buildings, one reaches the Rampart with its fine view over the Plain on which the most modern part of Colle is built. This area, too, is not lacking in points of interest, such as the Churches of Saint Augustine (13th century in origin, but rebuilt in the '500 by Antonio da Sangallo) and the daring modern seat of the Monte dei Paschi di Siena Bank (1983) designed by Giovanni Michelucci.

San Gimignano

The towered silhouette of San Gimignano rising from the hills of the Upper Elsa Valley, facing the land of Volterra and positioned right on one of the most important stretches of the mediaeval Via Francigena, is famous all over the world. A similar renown can also be claimed by its Vernaccia wine, recently awarded the D.O.C.G., the highest acknowledgement and guarantee for quality in Italian oenology. Among the numerous activities and cultural events, the prestigious international festival which is held in the month of July should be noted.

Abbadia Isola

It is so called not because surrounded by the sea, which from here it is really far away, but because around the XI century AD, there were a lot of marshes all around the church and the monastery, so that these two buildings seemed to stay as an island. Until nowadays you will find that the fields surrounding the church are really flat and they are plantations of wheat, sunflowers and forage.

Monteriggioni

Land of the noble families of Staggia during the middle of the 1100s, it asserted itself as a Sienese castle for the garrison troops during the war with Florence. In 1554 it was conquered by the army of the Medici and became part of the historical events that took place in Tuscany. A precious and well preserved Medieval town where you feel the atmosphere of that period in the little square, the fortifications and the parish church that has maintained its Gothic Romanesque structure. To visit: the impressive city walls.

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Last-Tour » Siena » Getting to » Places to sleep » Place to eat » Things to see » Tour of Val di Merse and Val d'Elsa» The Palio

kilometres: 100

How to reach
from Siena take the SS 73 to Sovicille. Continue to Frosini to arrive to San Galgano. From San Galgano follow the SS 73 till the beginning of the SS 541 to Colle Val d'Elsa. From Colle Val d'Elsa turn to San Gimignano. Go back at Colle Val d'Elsa and go to Staggia, then take the SS 2 to Abbadia Isola and Monteriggioni.
Sovicille
Rises on the eastern part of the Sienese Montagnola and has played a remarkable role in the history of Republic of Siena. One of the main monuments of the Sovicille area is the Church Ponte allo Spino (dedicated to St. John Baptiste), romanic building with three naves close to the remains of a gothic cloister.
San Galgano - Hour: 08.00 - 12.00/14.00 - till the sunset
It was once one of the most important monasteries in Tuscany. After becoming a Cistercian monk, the former knight Galgano Guidotti had a chapel built on Monte Siepi in about 1180, and he later died there as hermit. The Cistercian monks later managed to build an oratory and a building in honour of Galgano (who had in the meantime been sanctified) thus giving birth to the Monastero di San Galgano, a splendid building and one of the finest examples of Italian Gothic-Cistercian architecture. The power of the monastery quickly grew, and it soon absorbed the surrounding Benedictine abbeys. The abbey was attacked and devastated in the 14th century by troops under the command of Giovanni Acuto, and a century later a period of decline began which culminated in the decision to abolish the monastic orders. In 1816 the monastery was used for the construction of a farm. Anyone visiting the ruins of the abbey nowadays will be overwhelmed by the imposing walls of the now-roofless building; built in brick and travertine, they have remained standing over the centuries and are tangible evidence of the economic power of the community. The light coming in through the gaps in the walls, the clear view of the sky where once there was a roof, and the floor which is nothing but grass give the place an incredible atmosphere, especially at sunset.

Colle Val d'Elsa
Spread over three gradients, Borgo, Castello and Piano (the Village, Castle and Plain), Colle di Val d'Elsa is famous today for its production of fine handcrafted crystal, but it is also an important tourist destination. The Village is entered through the monumental Porta Nova and winds its long and narrow way in a sequence of fine 16th and 17th century noble houses to the magnificent, though unfinished, Palazzo Campana, which marks the entry to the Castle, the oldest part of Colle. Here, the atmosphere suddenly changes: narrow paved lanes, fascinating tower-houses (among these stands the one where Amolfo di Cambio was born), steeply sloping streets and flights of steps. Piazza del Duomo is overlooked by the Praetorial Court, the seat of the Archaeological Museum, the Cathedral, the Bishops's Palle, housing the Museum of Sacred Art, and the picturesque Via delle Volte, the most characteristic corner of the town. Passing little churches and 13th-century buildings, one reaches the Rampart with its fine view over the Plain on which the most modern part of Colle is built. This area, too, is not lacking in points of interest, such as the Churches of Saint Augustine (13th century in origin, but rebuilt in the '500 by Antonio da Sangallo) and the daring modern seat of the Monte dei Paschi di Siena Bank (1983) designed by Giovanni Michelucci.

San Gimignano
The towered silhouette of San Gimignano rising from the hills of the Upper Elsa Valley, facing the land of Volterra and positioned right on one of the most important stretches of the mediaeval Via Francigena, is famous all over the world. A similar renown can also be claimed by its Vernaccia wine, recently awarded the D.O.C.G., the highest acknowledgement and guarantee for quality in Italian oenology. Among the numerous activities and cultural events, the prestigious international festival which is held in the month of July should be noted.
Abbadia Isola
It is so called not because surrounded by the sea, which from here it is really far away, but because around the XI century AD, there were a lot of marshes all around the church and the monastery, so that these two buildings seemed to stay as an island. Until nowadays you will find that the fields surrounding the church are really flat and they are plantations of wheat, sunflowers and forage.

Monteriggioni
Land of the noble families of Staggia during the middle of the 1100s, it asserted itself as a Sienese castle for the garrison troops during the war with Florence. In 1554 it was conquered by the army of the Medici and became part of the historical events that took place in Tuscany. A precious and well preserved Medieval town where you feel the atmosphere of that period in the little square, the fortifications and the parish church that has maintained its Gothic Romanesque structure. To visit: the impressive city walls.

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