Best places to visit in Tuscany

Casole d'Elsa ... the enchantment of silent Tuscany. Just 1 km from Casa Podere Monti.

Casole d'Elsa. Tuscany. Italy ... Is a small medieval village just 1 km from Casa Podere Monti located 420 m above sea level at the top of the hill. Well ventilated, it has a dry climate and pleasantly temperate.

The heart of Casole is the "piazza Lucchetti", the small central square with its historic buildings dating from the Middle Ages, with narrow streets and small shops where you can buy typical Tuscan products or taste the delicious specialities in the restaurants on the small streets of the center...

A characteristic of this small town is certainly the warmth and kindness of people who still live according to the old traditions and rhythms of life without pollution or stress. Keep on reading to find out all the events in our area during the season 2018.

Siena

Siena is one of the most beautiful and visited cities of art in Tuscany and Italy. The city of the Palio is set between the greenery of Val d'Elsa, the hills of Chianti, Amiata mountain and the Crete Senesi. The city is of human dimensions and has maintained intact the charm of a medieval town, with its alleys that wind around the heart of the city, the renowned Piazza del Campo. The Palio is one of the marvels of Italian tradition. Just 40 minutes drive from Casa Podere Monti ( 30 km).

Florence

Florence is known as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Its works of art and museums are the destination each year of millions of visitors. The Tuscan chief town is a world patrimony of Unesco, an acknowledgement that highlights its artistic and architectural greatness. It is impossible to describe the charm of Piazza della Signoria, the Cathedral, the Old Bridge... You just have to see it. Just 1 hour drive from Casa Podere Monti ( 60 km).

Volterra

The town in Val di Cecina results from a meeting of different historic periods. Volterra retains a considerable historic centre of Etruscan origin, with its Roman ruins and medieval buildings, the Cathedral and the Palazzo dei Priori, which are the nerve centre of the town. The surrounding area provides the desert "salt works" and the "towers" of the geothermic area of Larderello. Volterra has been chosen by the writer Sthephenie Meyer as setting for her famous novel "New Moon". Several times the writer has stated to have been totally captured by the charming of this small but very mysterious city. Just 20 minutes drive from Casa Podere Monti ( 22 km ).

San Gimignano

Casa  Podere Monti is your space to stay near San Gimignano,  reachble in just 20 minutes by car. This little gem is located in the heart of Val d'Elsa and famous for  its beauty and charm. The town is a mix of splendid alleys and breathtaking views, where you seem to have gone right back to medieval times. The area surrounding San Gimignano includes charming, flowing hills from where you can admire the picturesque landscape and enjoy quiet walks. Just 20 minutes drive from Casa Podere Monti  (20 km).

San Galgano Abbey

Casa Podere Monti can be the perfect accommodation to visit the famous Abbey of San Galgano. It's just 30 minutes drive from our holiday home and it is considered one of the most important religious monuments in whole Tuscany and surely among the greatest of the gothic monasteries in Italy! This is despite the essentially ruined state of the abbey - it has no roof and many internal walls and original buildings from the abbey complex can nolonger be seen. The abbey and the next Chapel of Montesiepi is in a isolated and picturesque countryside, that adds charm  to it and also push you to  appreciate the reason why the location was chosen for the purposes of reflection and pray.

Colle Val d'Elsa

Its name means "Hill of Elsa Valley", where "Elsa" is the name of the river which crosses it. Today, Colle di Val d'Elsa is internationally renowned for the production of crystal glassware and art (15% of world production). The oldest part of the town is the "colle alta", the higher part, with a well preserved medieval center.Usually tourists don’t plan to come here, they see the old walls  and tower bell and they decide to stop because they are anchented by the sight!! Just 10 minutes drive from Casa Podere Monti ( 10 km).

Pisa

When people think of Pisa who usually think of the Leaning Tower, but Pisa has many interesting sights and attractions. The Campo of Miracles, with its Romanesque buildings, is the highlight of a visit to Pisa, but still far from the crowded tourist areas are other interesting places. The Lungarno, the small historic streets and ancient buildings. Just 1 hour and 20 minutes from Casa Podere Monti ( 80 km).

Chianti

Chianti, one of the most beautiful areas of Tuscan region and it has always been linked to wine and its culture. The Chianti hills are raked by miles and miles of vineyards, which change color with each passing season, in a unique landscape. Green, purple, red and yellow are the colors that glow on these hills, and that every year attract thousands of visitors. Between Florence and Sienna are many farms that offer proudly a very high quality product, made with passion and effort. Large, small, old or new, all the wineries of Chianti offer the opportunity to taste their wines. In fact you need a good map to start this tasting tour, but it is enough to be guided from the streets and from their instincts. Only a few regions are able to offer a rich and beautiful scenery such as Chianti: green hills, vineyards and olive groves, ancient walled villages and sweet scenic roads. Just 20 minutes drive from Casa Podere Monti ( 20 km).

Pienza

Always defined by the 'ideal city', the 'city of Utopia'. Considered in the Renaissance as a perfect example of urban construction, the old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. Defined from time to time, the 'ideal city', the 'city of Utopia', it is now one of the concrete construction methods through which in the Renaissance was an attempt to create a model of life, making an 'idea of a city that was able to give concrete answers to the desire for peaceful civil coexistence” . The old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. Very famous is the Pecorino di Pienza, a typical local cheese. Just 1 hour and 30 minutes from Casa Podere Monti ( 80 km).

Val d'Orcia

Medieval castles, rolling hills, medieval villages, cypresses, vineyards, olive groves and wheat fields: these are the characteristics that make the Val d 'Orcia so unique.
It takes its name from the Orcia river that runs through this beautiful region in the south of Tuscany, now a protected park, and has been recognized as World Heritage by 'UNESCO since 2004. The protagonist of the Val d'Orcia is a pure nature and beautiful with colors that change completely depending on the seasons. And 'an atmosphere suspended, that originates from some of the most famous wines in the world including wine Brunello di Montalcino, Nobile di Montepulciano, the Red Orcia, and other fabulous wines with DOCG denomination. Just 1 hour and 20 minutes drive from Casa Podere Monti( 75 km).