During your stay in Podere di Santa Maria, situated in Chiusdino, near The Abbey of San Galgano in the district of Siena, in Tuscany, you can discover small villages in Merse Valley, Tuscany.
CHIUSDINO
Chiusdino is a small medieval village of Lombard origin. It isocated on a hill and we can still see the remains of the ancient walls.
The Abbey of San Galgano of which there are the walls and columns, roof-free, dating back to the twelfth century. St Galgano retired on this hermitage after his conversion to Catholicism and sticked his sword into the rock to make a cross. This sword still offers an evocative image and is still under investigation. At the time of the Republic of Siena, the Abbey of San Galgano had a great economic and cultural influence, it was later abandoned in the fifteenth century, after the construction of the Palace of San Galgano in Siena.
The Abbey of San Galgano
SOVICILLE
The medieval village of Sovicille was created around the year 1000. In the old town center we can still recognize the medieval structure. Among the most important buildings there is Church of San Lorenzo, the patron saint of the village, built in the fourteenth century in Romanesque and Gothic style after the restoration of the nineteenth century.
MURLO
The Church of San Fortunato, which was also the Cathedral during the eighteenth century, has a simple hut structure and inside houses various paintings, holy water and baptismal fonts dating back to the fourteenth century and to the sixteenth century.
Not far away we find the Bishop’s Palace which houses the Antiquarium of Poggio Civitate and Archaeological Museum. Poggio Civitate is an archaeological excavation that returned numerous findings of the VII-VI centuries BC. In the museum there is the restoration workshop that is also involved in studying the ancient techniques of working, organizing conferences and themed seminars.
MONTICIANO
In Monticiano there is the Convent of St. Augustine, built in the thirteenth century and then expanded in the seventeenth with the cloister. Next to it there is the Church of St. Augustine which includes many beautiful frescoes.
Pieve Vecchia Radicondoli
RADICONDOLI
Radicondoli is a small village in the countryside. Near the village we can visit the Pieve Vecchia dating back to the XII century that houses some sculptures to represent the tools of the artisan tradition of the place. The parish church was restored in the Baroque period, as demonstrated by the main altar style.
PIEVI E CASTELLI DELLA VAL DI MERSE
The Valley of Merse is a territory that keeps many points in its natural characteristics. Among the many possible paths we can find several historical buildings perfectly integrated into the surrounding environment. Among the most important there are the Church of San Giusto e Clemente in the Romanesque style, the church of St. John the Baptist, the Holy Trinity Monastery. Among the castles we find the Castello di Tocchi and the Murlo Castle.
MONTERIGGIONI
Monteriggioni is a beautiful medieval village that preserves the perimeter of its walls almost intact dating back to the thirteenth century. In Monteriggioni there are the Church of Santa Maria in Castello, with a late medieval hut facade and the adjacent Baptistery of St. John. We can also visit the church of San Lorenzo and the Hermitage of San Leonardo.
