Tuscan landscape

If Italy is the home of History, Tuscany is the place where mostly this History meets with nature. This landscape is the result of centuries of work, culture, philosophy and the Renaissance ideals of beauty found here their homeland.

Side by side you will find in these hills the most famous monuments and some absolutely forgotten vestiges; great medieval cities and forgotten tiny villages; 4 UNESCO sites and fascinating ruins.

These remains, hermits hidden in dark woods, fancy villas in open plains, tough water mills in deep valleys or powerful castels in sunny hills, surely reveal their strength but most of all they tell us how deep and widespread the human presence has been around Siena, with perfect interaction with the territory.

A small augustinian retreat and ruins of an etruscan gate

Create your taylor made tour, a special hike to fit perfectly in your style.
If you look for adventure you can have woods, rivers, waterfalls, caves, mountains, canyons.
If history is what you prefer we’ll visit villages and ruins.
If you prefer pleasant trails and picturesque countryside well, our hills are the best you can find!

And you can choose how much you want to walk, for how many hours or even days. Do you prefer an hammock, a tent, a lodge or a fancy hotel?

Adventure or relax

A pleasent day in the hills around Siena. Easy tours of half or full day. Simple tracks and great views, finishing with a tasting or a meal with our excellent products: Pienza cheese, bruschetta, Brunello di Montalcino o Nobile di Montepulciano.

UNESCO site Val d’Orcia is probably the most iconic image of Tuscany. Location of several commercial spots, movies (such as Ridley Scott The gladiator) and sport event as world famous bicycle races Eroica and Strade Bianche.

Le Crete di Camposodo e la Val d’Orcia

• DIFFICULTY- easy
  
• DURATION – half or full day
• LENGTH – 5 to 12 km
• PRICE 1 to 4 people – 200€ half day, 300€ full day
• PRICE 5 to 10 people – 300€ half day, 400€ full day
• ASK for our service of pick-up/drop-off

 

Castiglion Balzetti it’a huge medieval fortress so hiddend in the endless woods of the Natural Reserve Alto Merse, to earn the nickname of “Castle only God knows“. If in the half day hike is possible to arrive at the manor, in the full day hike will be possible to reach a nice stream with ruins of a medieval water mill.

The  Natural Reserve of Castelvecchio keeps great remains of a whole medieval village. This has been protected in the centuries by strong walls and two deep canyons. This fascinating place is near to UNESCO site of San Gimignano.
Half day hike for the castle and full day for a great and more demanding loop in one of the canyons.

Castiglion Balzetti and Castelvecchio

• DIFFICULTY- easy half day, medium full day
• LENGTH – 5 to 12 km
• PRICE 1 to 4 people – 200€ half day, 300€ full day
• PRICE 5 to 10 people – 300€ half day, 400€ full day
• ASK for our service of pick-up/drop-off

 

Santa Maria di Montespecchio in strongly hidden in a side small valley in the Natural Reserve Basso Merse. Only the incredible walls of the church are still standing. This Augustinian monastery is been occupied by monks from XII to XVII century.  After the dereliction the ruins had been called “Conventaccio” (Bad monastery).  The beautiful black/white Pisan style in the middle of a wild forest is a pair difficult to explain.

Fusola hermit is one of the many small and shy ruins of Tuscany. This strange rock dwelling has been the retreat for many years of a local Saint, Beato Franco Lippi, a merciless soldier of fortune who finally convert to a holy life. An easy hike with nice woods and streams around

Santa Maria di Montespecchio and  Fusola hermit

• DIFFICULTY- easy or medium
  
• DURATION – half or full day
• LENGTH – 6 to 12 km
• PRICE 1 to 4 people – 200€ half day, 300€ full day
• PRICE 5 to 10 people – 300€ half day, 400€ full day
• ASK for our service of pick-up/drop-off

For all those who want to try a differnt way to discover nature and art, here are two great proposals. Thrills and fun with no particular difficulty but hard to find and to do without a Guide.

Botro ai buchi, is a short and nice canyon with some simple and spectacular passages.

Not far from Pienza UNESCO site is Buca del Beato (cave of the holy man). Home for several years of XIV century saint Giovanni Benincasa, this cave is hidden by a waterfall in a unusual canyon.

Botro ai buchi and Buca del Beato

• DIFFICULTY- medium
  
• DURATION – half or full day
  
• LENGTH – 4 km
  
• PRICE 1 to 4 people – 200€ half day, 300€ full day
• PRICE 5 to 10 people – 300€ half day, 400€ full day
• ASK for our service of pick-up/drop-off

 

 

The rivers and streams we are going to explore don’t really have narrow passages but they run instead in wide and sunny valleys. It’s a great way to explore the most wild side of our land especially in summer months, when river hikes in pure and clean water are a real relief  from the heat.

Merse river and Pavone stream

• DIFFICULTY- medium
  
• DURATION – full day
  
• LENGTH – 8 km
• PRICE 1 to 4 people – 200€ half day, 300€ full day
• PRICE 5 to 10 people – 300€ half day, 400€ full day
• ASK for our service of pick-up/drop-off