The experiences

Gastronomy, oil oil and wine

Agriturismo Sole offers a wide choice of experience in the name of good food. Around the cultivation revolve the olive harvest, the trip to the mill and the tastings of extra virgin olive oil of own production.

Linked to the truffle are the experiences of research and tasting of the precious underground mushroom. The truffle is often the protagonist of snacks and gourmet aperitifs organized by Maria and Santiago during the harvest period.

In homage to Santiago’s Argentine origins, asado is one of the most loved and appreciated culinary experiences among those offered to guests of the farmhouse, like picnics in the shade of olive trees, when the season invites you to dine outdoors with typical local specialties.

For lovers of a gastronomic-themed holiday, here is an essential map for tasting and buying local specialties: Pici and Brunello in Montalcino; Pecorino PDO in Pienza; tripe in Siena; truffle from Asciano, cured meats in Bagno Vignoni; the Florentine steak in Montepulciano; truffle pasta in Monticchiello; the sandwich in San Quirico; Tuscan vegan catering in Trequanda; aperitif overlooking the Val D’Orcia in Pienza; wine in Petroio at a company of friends.

Festivals

The Val d’Orcia offers a full calendar of festivals, whose most famous and most popular events are: the Oil Festival third weekend of October in Trequanda; the White Truffle Market Exhibition in Asciano in the second and third weekend of November; the Artichoke Festival in Chiusure on the last weekend of April. Goblets of stars in Montepulciano on August 10th, music tasting of the great Tuscan wines, under the sky of the night of San Lorenzo.

Bikes

At Agriturismo Sole you can rent a bike and go for a ride in the area. The routes can vary in length and difficulty, but they all have one thing in common: the scenic nature of the roads.

Santiago, an experienced and passionate cyclist, makes the guest find the bike outside the room and an app with the routes to choose from. It often happens that Santiago joins the bikers to guide them on some pedaling to discover the goodies of the area at a really affordable price. Just ask.

Among the proposals of the Agriturismo, the “bike rides” for families up and down the clay, the dirt roads with edges dotted with cypresses. Cycling through the UNESCO World Heritage countryside is an experience that never ceases to amaze tourists from all over the world, but also those who live here.

Horses

Agriturismo Sole organizes exploratory trips on horseback, which offer a relaxing and unforgettable experience, on routes that can reach up to 20 km. Some horseback rides can be made on the ancient routes of transhumance, routes that connected the Maremma to the Apennines.

It is possible to enrich the ride with a “flying” picnic: the Agriturismo Sole, in this case, would bring everything needed for refreshment to a predetermined place, allowing guests to enjoy a break in the name of nature and Tuscan specialties.

Trekking

The strategic position of Agriturismo Sole, a few steps from the official route of the Via Francigena, makes the structure an ideal starting or arrival point for trekking.

Paths and country roads intersect in several points the path traced in the Middle Ages by Bishop Sigeric, but also allow you to reach other natural, landscape and historical beauties out of the way.

Santiago provides walkers with apps with marked routes, distances and all useful information, olt and is always available to offer advice and suggestions to all those who “slow foot” want to live an experience of this type.

Vespa

A way much loved by foreign guests, but also Italians, is to visit the territory of the Val d’Orcia and the Crete Senesi by scooter.

At Agriturismo Sole you can rent a Vespa. With Maria’s advice on what to see, where to eat, and where to stop and take the most spectacular photos, you immediately want to get moving.

Hot ballooning

At Agriturismo Sole it is possible to book and organize balloon flights over the Val D’Orcia and the Crete Senesi. A truly extraordinary experience as the perspective from which you can admire one of the most enchanting territories in Italy.

Film sets

Going for sets is an increasingly popular form of tourism. The southern part of the province of Siena and the Val d’Orcia, from this point of view, offer several places made immortal by the great cinema.

One of the closest and most prestigious film locations is the Monastery of Sant’Anna in Caprena for The English Patient (1996) by Anthony Minghella, awarded with 9 Oscars, which shot in Pienza the scene in which the end of the war is celebrated.

Pienza was also the backdrop for another film awarded with 2 Academy Award statuettes: Romeo and Juliet (1968) by Franco Zeffirelli, and the fiction I Medici.

In the territory of San Casciano Bagni, where Sergio Castellitto filmed Non ti muovere, there is the house of Gladiator (2000) by Ridley Scott and the location of the Champs Elysees (Chapel of the Madonna di Vitaleta).

Montepulciano was one of the Italian sets chosen by Chris Weitz for Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009). Under the Tuscan Sun (2003) by Audrrey Wells was set in Cortona, but the cypresses of Monticchiello, a few curves away from Agriturismo Sole, are very recognizable.

Benessere

Yoga and Ayurvedic massages

Agriturismo Sole organizes yoga sessions and Ayurvedic massages with professionals among the olive trees of the farmhouse upon reservation and for a fee. An extra experience to dive even deeper into the harmony and beauty of the place.


The Thermal Baths

Tuscany is rich in spas. In the vicinity of the farmhouse you can find places of great beauty, able to give in addition to the well-being deriving from contact with water the beauty of the natural and historical contour.

The nearest spa is located in Rapolano, just a 15-minute drive from Agriturismo Sole.
Not to be missed, then, Bagno Vignoni small fraction of San Quirico. The medieval village has developed around the ancient pool, already exploited in Roman times, located in the town square.

A little further away, but less than an hour’s drive, a couple of stations on the slopes of Monte Amiata. These are Bagni San Filippo on Monte Amiata and Vivo d’Orcia, with thermal springs immersed in the woods, which can be freely accessed.

The countrysuides

All the experiences mentioned have as a reference point Siena, the splendid 5 municipalities of the Val D’Orcia, their enchanting hamlets, and the small town of Trequanda.

Here’s what you absolutely must visit.

Siena
Siena, città del Palio e sito Patrimonio dell’Umanità Unesco, è una tappa Siena, city of the Palio and UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a must. Walking through the districts, you inevitably arrive in Piazza del Campo: the Palazzo Comunale (Palazzo Pubblico), with its famous Torre del Mangia, houses famous works of art, such as the Allegory of Good and Bad Government by Ambrogio Lorenzetti, and masterpieces by Simone Martini and Duccio di Boninsegna. Another pearl of the historic center, the Duomo in Italian Roman-Gothic style, dedicated to the Assumption. Inside there are the Pulpit by Nicola Pisano, the Piccolomini library frescoed by Pinturicchio and countless other works by great Italian masters of art.

Pienza

Pienza is also listed among the Italian UNESCO World Heritage sites. The town is one of the 5 municipalities of the Val d’Orcia and stands out for its urban layout inspired by the humanistic philosophical conceptions applied by Bernardo Rossellino who transformed the medieval village into a paradigm of modern urban planning. The symbolic places are the Trapezoidal Square dedicated to Pope Pius II and the Palazzo Piccolomini.

San Quirico d’Orcia It is located on the original route of the Via Francigena traced by the bishop of Canterbury, Sigerico. The town is notable for the sixteenth-century Horti Leonini, an admirable example of Italian gardens. In its vicinity, do not miss the Natural Park of the Mills in the hamlet of Bagno Vignoni and the Cypresses of San Quirico in Triboli, authentic naturalistic icons of the territory a short distance from the Agriturismo Sole.

Montalcino
It is known worldwide for the production of wine. The most important is Brunello, but do not forget the Rosso di Montalcino, Sant’Antimo and Moscadello di Montalcino. To visit the Fortress, the Palazzo dei Priori, and the Church of Sant’Agostino with the adjacent seat of the Musei Riuniti, where you can admire works by Della Robbia, Simone Martini and Ambrogio Lorenzetti.

Castiglione d’Orcia
In the heart of the Val d’Orcia, Castiglione is characterized by its sloping square and the unworked stones of its cobblestones. To visit, nearby, the spa of Bagni San Filippo and the fortress that dominates the town of Rocca d’Orcia.

Radicofani
Arrival site of the last stage in Tuscany of the Via Francigena, Radicofani is a charming medieval village. Not to be missed, the church of San Pietro, from where the itinerary to Acquapendente along the Via Cassia and the Casale della Posta starts, where to stay, among others, writers of the caliber of Goethe, Dickens and Stendhal. Radicofani was the refuge of the good brigand, Ghino di Tacco, according to the definition of Giovanni Boccaccio (Decameron, II, X).

Trequanda
Agriturismo Sole is located in the municipality of Trequanda, a small town awarded the orange flag by the Italian Touring Club. The small town is also a member of the Italian Association of Oil Cities and is included in the national register of historic rural landscapes.