Montagnola Senese in Tuscany

The Montagnola Senese is a hilly region located west of Siena, up to the Val d’Elsa, on the municipalities of Casole d’Elsa, Monteriggioni, Siena and Sovicille.
They are very wooded, with oaks, maple, chestnut. Its highest relief is the Montemaggio with its 671 meters high. It is also a deposit of marbles, especially yellow marble, with karst caves and aquifers. It is a refuge for animals, including the local pig Cinta Sense.
The route of the Via Francigena crosses the massif, a route taken by pilgrims from northern Europe to reach Rome.
It has several religious buildings and hermitages, including the complex of Abbadia a Isola, Santa Maria a Castello, the church of Ponte allo Spino. Several castles have been built here, such as the Montarrenti castle.

Things to do and see in the Montagnola

Churches and Hermitages

• Parish Church of San Giovanni Battista a Ponte allo Spino near Sovicille (Roman, 12th)
• Abbadia Complex in Isola, including Abbazia dei Santi Salvatore e Cirino (Roman, XI) near Monteriggioni
• Majestic Lecceto Hermitage (Siena)
• Parish Church of San Giovanni Battista in Pernina (Roman, XII)
• Gracious Hermitage of San Leonardo al Lago
• Parish Church of the Saints Maria and Gervasio in Marmoraia (Roman)
• Parish Church of San Giovanni Battista in Molli (Roman)
• Imposing Romitorio della Scala, not accessible by a 300-stone stairway
• Ruins of the Motrano cave hermitage in a limestone cliff

Castles and villas

The forest is home to the remains of medieval castles: the Montauto and Castellare castles, the Montarrenti castle (public property), and the Celsa castle (private), which can be visited for free on occasion. The most important castle is that of Monteriggioni, on the northern edge of the massif.

• Castle of Celsa
  The suggestive Castle of Celsa, is a reconstruction on an old medieval fortress, accompanied by an Italian garden.
• Villa di Cetinale and Tebaide Park
  Built at the end of the 17th century for the Chigi family by architect Carlo Fontana, the Villa di Cetinale has a beautiful garden that can be visited, called “citrus garden” with its flower beds, hedges and ornaments.
  Opposite, the Hermitage of the Scala also from the 17th century is accessible by 300 penitential steps carved in stone.
  Tebaide Park is a forest with a meditation path leading to chapels, crosses, caves, ponds and statues.
• Monteriggioni
  In the north of the massif, Monteriggioni is one of the most suggestive medieval hamlets of Italy, crowning a hill with its elliptical enclosure equipped with towers.

Ancient sites

• Etruscan tumulus of Mucellana
  In a wood, this large Etruscan tumulus of the Mucellana dates from the 6th century BC.
• Etruscan necropolis of Malignano
  Small Etruscan necropolis
  

Caves and Natural Sites

• Karst caves (near Monte Maggio, Colle Ciupi and the village of Santa Colomba)
• Canyons (Romitorio, Val di Ripoli and Buia Valley),
• Cave of Berenice
• Yellow marble quarries
• Bagni San Marziale
  To the north towards Colle Val d’Elsa, there were Etruscan-Roman baths destroyed by the Sienese in the thirteenth century (Bagni di San Marziale), whose reservoirs are still frequented, fed by an abundant source.
• Pian del Lago
  Ancient lake drained in the time of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany with a rare and curious method: emptying, with a tunnel 2,173 meters long that can be visited, “Gallery of the Grand Duke”.

Where is the Montagnola, map

Articles about Montagnola

• Monteriggioni in Tuscany
  On top of a hill, the fortified medieval village of Monteriggioni is a small jewel that has survived through the centuries. It enchants the visitor by diving into the middle ...
• Colle Val d’Elsa in Tuscany
  Colle Val d’Elsa is a small town with about 20,000 inhabitants in the heart of Tuscany, between Siena and Florence, along the Val d’Elsa, and on the Via Francigena and ...