Last year on our way to Saturnia we passed some stunning looking hilltop towns and vowed to return to explore them. We stayed an extra day to do just this.
The first town we visited was Arcidosso, great name. It is first mentioned in 860 when it belonged to the Abbey of San Salvatore. It was once the most important political and administrative centre in the Monte Amiato area.
There is an impressive fountain in the newer part of town, which was reasonably busy on a cool spring day.
We walked into the medieval part of town through an old portal.
It boasts a very old castle. It claims to be one of the best preserved in Europe. We only saw it from the outside as it was firmly closed. The oldest part of the castle was built in 990. The main tower dates from 1160, the newer part in the 1200s and the watchtowers and battlements in the 1300s. It was built to last on a solid rock base.
There is a model of the castle in the piazza below. The castle now hosts events.
The medieval streets are narrow and steep, and empty. Some houses appeared to be lived in, but not many.
I was impressed with the many coats of arms.
There was another entrance to the old town lower down the hill.
The next town was Castel del Piano which looks amazing from a distance along its hilltop ridge. The town dates from 890, but Etruscans settled in the area long before that. From 1175 – 1321 it was a possession of the Aldobrandeschi family.
The first thing we came upon after parking the car was an excellent washing site. These communal washing areas are found all over Italy, but this is the biggest one I have seen. A lot of town news must have been discussed here over the centuries.
From there we walked up (always) to the old town.
The main piazza is big and impressive with 2 enormous churches almost side by side. This is Chiesa della Propositura.
Beside it is Chiesa di Santa Maria delle Grazie.
In front of the churches the piazza looks towards the newer part of the town.
Behind the churches is another, more modern piazza with views over the countryside and a fountain.
We walked through the old town door beside the piazza up the steep, narrrow street to the top of the town. Most houses were empty and every second door had a Vendesi – For Sale – sign on it. I doubt there will be any buyers forthcoming.
From the top of the village there were beautiful views of the countryside and another hilltop town.
Castel del Piano holds a Palio on 8th September. It was run for the first time in 1402.
Our third stop was Seggiano, on the foothills of Monte Amiata. The town was built in the early 10th century as a possession of the nearby Abbey of San Salvatore.
We drove to the top of the town where we found a lovely piazza with a pretty church and a restaurant where we had a very good lunch.
We wandered a little further and found another church and some empty streets.
The view from the top was great and will get better as spring kicks in.
There is a olive oil festival held in December.
At the bottom of the town is the impressive Church of our Lady of Charity. It was built between 1589 and 1603 thanks to the Bishop of Pienza, Francesco Piccolomini. It boasts the only Spanish Baroque facade in Tuscany.
The light was in completely the wrong position for a good photo. It was closed so I can’t show you the inside.
We were a little disappointed with our visit to these 3 towns. They looked much better from a distance than they did up close. I realise that we were early in the season and spring is late coming this year, but the towns were unremarkable and a bit charmless.
The medieval parts of the towns are virtually empty, which is sad. Many people seem too have abandoned the old houses and moved to newer ones nearby with easier access to transport and shops.
I would suggest visiting if there is a local festival when the streets might come alive, or at least in summer when perhaps there will be more people about.