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WHAT WHERE WHEN WHY
Sport and relax
The excellent position of the residence will allow you to experience the open county around, but at the same time you can have the main services nearby 35 km (shops, restaurants, bars, bank, post office). In Montevarchi (19 km far) you will find supermarkets and a ample choice of different shops that can satisfied any necessity.
At the Podere Bellaria, besides swimming in the swimming pool, you could train at archery and trekking or mountain bike excursion in the near hills.
Moreover, other amusement activities. Tennis in Bucine (85 km) or Montevarchi (19 km), horse-riding in Rendola (16 km), golf (55 km), bowling (27 km) and more relax and wellness at Rapolano spa (25 km).
We are at your disposal for any advices, itinerary, and museums bookings.
Gastronomy
 
The past has let us not only important artworks, but rich cultural tradition too, as well as wine and food tradition based on the deep relationship of inner respect between men and his hearth.
It is difficult to stand the temptation of a ribollita, panzanella, or a Florentine steak, or our cantuccini.
If you wish, Anna will be very happy to carry you in the Tuscan typical receipts.
Other two pillars of our gastronomy are the olive oil and the wine, the latter especially ‘red’, with first rate product such as DOCG Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, and Nobile di Montepulciano, together with other important origins (i.e. Sassicaia, Tignanello, Morellino di Scansano, Chianti Colli Aretini).
A special mention is for white wines, i.e. Vernaccia di S. Gemignano (first Italian DOC), Bianco di Pitigliano, and Pietraviva.
Don’t forget our typical Vin Santo, a sweet wine for dessert, olden for a long time in little wooden barrels (caratelli), and used during the Eucharistic. This wine is traditionally match with the cantuccini, typical almond’s cookies.
To Visit
 
If you want to visit some art cities in Tuscany, you can go to:
-Florence (55 km): it take 1 hour by car, otherwise you can easily go by train from Montevarchi (37 min), and let the car at the park station. When you arrive downtown, you can visit the Dome and the Baptistery, Giotto’s bel tower, Santa Croce square, the Medici’s Chapels, Ponte Vecchio, Pitti Palace, Palazzo Vecchio, the Uffizi Gallery, the Academy museum, and the center’s streets with Via de’ Tornabuoni, Piazzale Michelangelo and San Miniato Church. It up to you and your time!
-Siena (38 km): 40 min by car. Here you can visit the inner centre and Piazza del Campo, where the famous Palio, an horses competition among 17 districts takes place (July, 2nd – August, 8th), the Dome, the Public Palace and the National Gallery. On Wednesday morning, weekly market.
-Arezzo (22 km, 20 min by car). Easy to visit due to its concentrated centre. The Dome, San Francesco Church with Piero della Francesca’s paintings, Piazza Grande, where the first Sunday of September there’s the Giostra del Saracino, a big historical manifestation, and where Roberto Benigni acted his movie ‘La vita è bella’. Each first Sunday of the month there’s the antique fair, with exhibitors or national importance and on Saturday morning there is the market.
-Pisa (140 km, we suggest the car trip in 2 hr). The monumental area of the city is located in the around the Campo dei Miracoli, where there are the Torre Pendente, the Baptistery, the Cathedral, the Camposanto and the Sinopie’s Museum. Interesting to visit are also Piazza dei Cavalieri and the Cavalieri Palace, S. Marco Palace, and S. Matteo Museum.
-Lucca (136 km) with its walls, the Dome, S. Michele in Foro church, the Market Place and the National Gallery. You can also rent a bicycle and sightseeing the city. In addition, you could visit both Pisa and Lucca at the same day because they are not too far from each other (22 km) .
Tuscany offers you other important towns, even if they are smaller in dimension, they are a very good choice for food and history.
-Pienza (65 km) has its Cathedral, Palazzo Comunale, Palazzo Piccolomini, and it is renowned for the delicious sheep cheeses.
-Montalcino (68 km), country of Brunello, boasts Piazza del Popolo, la Rocca, the Archaeological Museum.
-San Gimignano (75 km), characterized by its towers and the Palazzo del Podestà, the Collegiata. In these lands is produced the Vernaccia wine.
-Bagno Vignoni (75 km) and its ancient spa centre
-Montepulciano (66km) and its old town centre, the Poliziano’s house, the Palazzo Comunale, San Biagio church, and it is the country of the Nobile red wine.
-San Galgano (83 km) with is great Abbey of the XIII Century
-Monteriggioni (54 km), it’s a typical medieval village encircled by wall and 12 towers.
-San Quirico d’Orcia (70 km) located in a highly suggestive place, it merits a look for its old town center and the Collegiata.
-Le Creste Senesi, enchanting landscaping area, near Asciano (35 km), is characterised by soil’s waves, due to the atmospheric agents.
-Montevarchi (19 km) with its Museo Paleontologico and its animal and vegetable fossils, and the San Lorenzo’s Collegiata. The second Sunday of the month, in Varchi square ‘Il Mercatale’, with tasting and retail selling of typical food. On Tuesday morning you can enjoy the market downtown.
-San Giovanni Valdarno (24 km, Masaccio’s homeland), has a very typical centre with the Palazzo d’Arnolfo and the Santa Maria delle Grazie Basils. In the museum are collected important works of the Renaissance, i.e. Beato Angelico paintings. On Saturday morning there is the market.
-Casentino, of naturalistic interest, where San Francesco founded his community at the Verna (80 km). The monnary is a pilgrim destination. Other Christian sites are the Camaldoli monnary and the Pieve Romena.
-Valtiberina and Monterchi, little village on a hill where it is fostered the Pier della Francesca painting ‘La Madonna del Parto’, Anghiari e San Sepolcro, Piero della Francesca’s country, and the dome and Civic Museum that keeps important Piero della Francesca’s works.
-Cortona (53 km) It is placed on a hill of ancient origin (Etruscan birth) and gifts a spectacular landscape on the Val di Chiana. To visit, the Palazzo Comunale, the Dome, the Etruscan Academy Museum.
In addition, in the near Umbria you can have a trip to:
-Perugia downtown and the Dome (100 km)
-Assisi (130 km), peace city, world centre of Christianity. It offers mystical atmospheres.
From the above mentioned descriptions of the most important sites that we recommend to visit, we have omitted others that are equally very interesting.
It is difficult to describe Tuscany in a few lines but we really hope to have stimulated and attracted your interest and pushed you to plan a trip to our country.
You are most welcome!
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