A journey in search of authentic beauty through the lands between Florence and Siena: a tour of nature, art, traditions and the good life in authentic Tuscany.
It is the Italian region that boasts seven Unesco sites and has always been universally known and visited for its immense artistic, architectural and natural wonders: Tuscany is a land that never ceases to amaze, and among its cities and villages there is still much to discover. Florence and Siena are the starting and finishing points of a trek through places that remain little known yet are rich in history and beauty. Here we suggest six of them — the most unmissable.
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We invite you to go in search of authentic beauty: treat yourself to the luxury of fully experiencing this land through the traditions, flavours and places that hold its true essence. And do so in harmony with nature, at its own pace and with the respect it deserves. The stops we suggest are, for different reasons, all examples of excellence — gifts to give yourself. For those who love nature, traditions, architecture, fine wine, wellbeing and two wheels.
Almost everything has perhaps already been said about Florence — the first stop on a six-day trek proposed as part of the LifeGate Experience project — and so a good piece of advice is to explore more carefully a small town just a few kilometres from the better-known regional capital, one that holds more than a few surprises: Fiesole.
You can get there by bicycle too — around 20 kilometres and three hours of pedalling — and once you arrive, enjoy the stunning panorama afforded by the town's position. Many people go there precisely to see Florence from above, only to find themselves surprised by just how interesting Fiesole is in its own right. Among the must-see sights are the remarkable Etruscan and Roman remains within the extensive archaeological area, and in particular the perfectly preserved Roman Theatre, which still hosts a theatre season. A little further on is the Museo Bandini, which houses an important collection of Della Robbia ceramics.
Among the events absolutely not to be missed, in a splendid small town not far from Siena, is the Bravìo delle botti in Montepulciano: a historical re-enactment of a contest between the town's eight contrade — Cagnano, Collazzi, Le Coste, Gracciano, Poggiolo, San Donato, Talosa and Voltaia — which in the past competed on horseback and today compete with barrels. It takes place on the last Sunday of August, with two athletes from each contrada known as "spingitori" rolling barrels weighing around 80 kilograms each along an uphill course of approximately 1,800 metres that winds through the evocative streets of Montepulciano's historic centre, finishing on the steps of the Cathedral in Piazza Grande. "Bravìo," derived from the vernacular "bravium," is the prize awarded to the winning contrada, consisting of a cloth bearing the painted image of Montepulciano's patron saint, San Giovanni Decollato, in whose honour the event is held every year.
The town celebrates for a whole week, and the most authentically Tuscan experience you can have is to take part in the dinners organised by the various contrade in the alleyways of the village: they are open to everyone, and you eat alongside the contradaioli, breathing in the true atmosphere and spirit of the Bravìo. The food is excellent, as is the company, and the prices are more than reasonable. The advice is to try all eight contrade.
Not far from Siena lies the Abbazia di San Galgano, in the municipality of Chiusdino, set amid rich countryside. There are two sites to visit here: the hermitage known as the Rotonda di Montesiepi and the great Cistercian abbey, of which only the walls now remain. The impact at first sight is truly powerful: the abbey stands roofless and feels as though it belongs to a Celtic or Nordic landscape. The majesty of what remains, as you walk through what were once the naves, is incredible — you feel small in the presence of these tall walls and can imagine the atmosphere at the time of its consecration in 1288. Many people come here because inside the Rotonda — the nearby small circular chapel — there is kept one of the most fascinating and mysterious relics in the entire region: the sword in the stone of San Galgano. At the centre of the chapel, a rock protrudes from the floor with a cruciform sword embedded within it, which analysis shows was forged at around 1170.
After seeing this place, it is not difficult to understand why it was chosen in the past as a setting for several films, including the celebrated Nostalghia by Andrej Tarkovskij (1983) and The English Patient by Anthony Minghella (1996).
The complex is open every day from 9am to 6pm, with July and August hours extended to 8pm; admission costs €3.50. Best visited at sunset or dawn.
In these lands, a stop at a winery is simply not to be missed: we are, after all, in the region universally renowned for its fine wine, above all for Chianti, so much so that foreigners — particularly the British and Americans — have rechristened it Chiantishire.
Wine estates are extremely widespread here, and many have entrusted the construction or renovation of their winery to leading architectural firms. One of the best known is Cantina Antinori, created both for production purposes and to give a wide public of wine enthusiasts the chance to engage directly with this family's production philosophy, offering the opportunity to see how a wine is born, from the vine to the bottle, through the processes of vinification and ageing. It is an innovative work of architecture centred on a deep and rooted bond with the land, with a low environmental impact and high energy efficiency. Built over seven years by the firm Archea associati with engineering by Hydea, it has a structure that makes it unique: it is almost invisible from the outside, save for two long horizontal "slits" running across the hillside, and its defining feature is the spectacular helical staircase connecting the building's three floors.
The winery is a tourist attraction and several guided tour packages can be booked, with prices starting from €30.
