Antica casa toscana nel borgo medievale di Castiglione d'Orcia

The Petre Antiche spread over a surface of 100sqm on two levels:
- Ground floor: large double living room with dining area and fireplace, kitchen, bathroom.
- first floor: double bedroom, twin/double bedroom, bathroom with shower, bedroom with balcony. Baby cot available upon request.

The apartment is equipped with wi-fi, lcd tv, washing machine, hairdryer and ironing board. The kitchen is stocked with dishwasher, fridge, freezer, microwave, kettle and coffee maker. Kitchen, bedroom and bathroom linens are included. Additional linens are available upon request.

Pets are not allowed.
Not accessible for wheelchairs.

Just a few meters from the house and within easy walking distance you will find mini market, local museum, pastry shop, bars, restaurants, pharmacy, bank, supermarket, newsstand, tobacconist, hair salon, post office, sport field, church, children's playground, car shop, fuel distributor.

The residence "Le Pietre Antiche" takes its name from the ancient name of Castiglione d'Orcia, known as Petra since 714. The residence, part of a 16th century building built around the former church of San Giovanni (today converted into a museum), overlooks the splendid three-tiered fountain of Piazza Unità Italiana and borders on the panoramic belvedere, "finestra Natural "that opens onto the wonderful Tuscan hills. Converted with attention to comfort while retaining all the original features including exposed beamed ceilings, stone walls, niches and terracotta floors, this apartment is warm and welcoming in winter and pleasantly cool in summer thanks to thick walls over one meter, is located in the center of the medieval village of Castiglione d'Orcia, making it an ideal base for discovering the wonders of the Artistic, Natural and Cultural Park of Val d'Orcia, World Heritage Site of UNESCO.
Val d'Orcia is a true treasure chest of nature and landscapes, with some of the most interesting historical centers in Tuscany. From the streets, squares, churches, the gaze spans the great horizons of multicolored hills, framed by rows of cypresses, introducing us to Crete Senesi and along the Via Francigena. Castles, boroughs, towers and isolated monasteries complete the picture of a land that has always fascinated travelers.


CASTIGLIONE D'ORCIA
There has been news of the country since 714, at the time the possessions of the Aldobrandeschi known as Petra. Castiglione d'Orcia saw an important development in the Longobard and Franca times for its strategic position on the Francigena Street. In 1252 it became Free Commune, but its independence lasted for about a century, then under the rule of Siena, which gave it to the powerful family of Piccolomini before and Salimbeni then, who used Castiglione d'Orcia as one of the bases for their Directed precisely against the Siena. Subsequently Castiglione passed into the hands of the Florentines, who in 1605 entrusted it to the noble Bolognese of the Riario family.
On Castiglione d'Orcia stands the Fortress of Tentennano, an imposing trellis placed on the top of a hill dominating the Orcia valley. Built in 1100-1200, it has long been the small capital of the Val d'Orcia and strategic control center on Via Francigena, the famous medieval road that united Rome with northern Italy and France: anyone to go to Rome (or to come ), Pilgrim, ambassador, noble, cleric, armed or disarmed, passed through the Val d'Orcia, under the watchful eye of the Lords of the Rock, high and unbreakable.
From its summit, it offers an unforgettable panorama, ranging from Mount Amiata to the Val d'Orcia, with soft hills dotted with farmhouses, closed by the wooded hills, the old Vignoni tower overlooking Bagno Vignoni and hiding San Quirico d'Orcia, The rows of Pienza roofs, and farther Monticchiello and Montalcino, the mountains above Cetona, and finally the lonely and solitary tower of Radicofani, another privileged observation point on the valley.
In the center of Castiglione d'Orcia stands another fortress, the Aldobrandesca fortress: the ancient fortress with the medieval ruins, which in the seventeenth century was converted into a palace by Count Riario, still retains some of the ancient walls.
Of great interest is the suggestive Piazza Vecchietta, dedicated to the 15th-century Siena painters Lorenzo di Pietro, called Il Vecchietta, the tradition of which originates from Castiglione d'Orcia. The square is located in the heart of the historic center and is the seat of the Commune. Other interesting monuments are the Romanesque church of Santa Maria Maddalena and the church of Santi Stefano e Degna, a Romanesque church with a sixteenth-century façade; The latter includes some important works of art, including a Madonna with Child by Simone Martini and another Madonna with Child by Pietro Lorenzetti.
A few steps from the square, there is the Sala dell'arte San Giovanni, a former church of the homonymous Confraternita, which preserves the paintings performed for Castiglione and Rocca d'Orcia by some of the major exponents of the Sienese school of the 14th and 15th centuries: Pietro Lorenzetti, Simone Martini, Vecchietta and Giovanni di Paolo.
At the borders of the village lies the Remembrance Park, built in memory of the fallen of the Great War; The park is rich in native botanical varieties among which rare species of rare orchids that bloom in the period between April and June.
Around the limestone spur on which stands the Tentennano fortress, there is a medieval fortress of Rocca d'Orcia: within the walls there are three tiny "terzieri": the Rocca (around the square), Rocchetta (West) and Rocchettina (east); Some stretches of the walls are still standing.
Today the Rocca is a quiet village, many places of interest include the Church of Our Lady of Grace, Manno's Old Fortress Hospital and Cistern Square.


AROUND
Val d'Orcia is a land that produces fine wines, such as the Orcia, the Noble of Montepulciano and the Brunello di Montalcino. You can just get carried away by roads that wind along these hills, and choose to view one of over 250 local wineries to taste the famous wines. Enjoy the great food and Tuscan wine offered in any room, from the typical taverns to upmarket restaurants.
If you are interested in a relaxing spa bath possibilities they are manifold. Just 6 km away is the ancient thermal village of Romanesque origin of Bagno Vignoni, with its famous square that is built around the ancient collection tank of the thermal waters. These spas have always been frequented by famous people such as Pope Pius II, Catherine of Siena, Lorenzo de 'Medici and many artists who had elected the village as the site of the village. The water escaping from the central square and head towards the steep slope of the Natural Park of the Mills: here, surrounded by the Mediterranean, there are four medieval mills carved in the rock that surround the waterfall that further downstream is collected in a summer spa bath on the banks of the river Orcia. Bagni San Filippo (20 minutes), the famous springs for thousands of years, forming small pools and hot water falls and you can admire the famous waterfall of the White Whale, created by white concretions of calcium carbonate. The Chianciano Terme (30 minutes), situated in century-old thermal park called Acqua Santa, are famous for their healing properties. A Rapolano Terme (45 minutes) are the San Giovanni Terme, immersed in the Tuscan hill, and Terme Antica Querciolaia. Completing the picture the thermal baths of Saturnia (60 minutes), also known to the Etruscans and Romans, with their sulphurous waters from the famous therapeutic properties.
To soak up the atmosphere of the typical Tuscan villages, in just 10 minutes you can reach the medieval village of San Quirico d'Orcia, with its historic buildings, the walls and the ancient churches, the neighborhood of which there are the "Cipressini d'Orcia" neighborhood "I TRIBIOLI", symbol of nature and landscape of Tuscany.
Montalcino (20 minutes) is a medieval village famous for the famous Brunello, which is worth visiting is to enjoy food and wine, both to admire the numerous churches and the Fortress. At the same distance (20 minutes) is Monticchiello, small and charming medieval walled town. At 25 minutes there is the Abbey of St. Antimo, an unmissable example of Tuscan Romanesque church surrounded by nature, which is said to be founded by Charlemagne. Buonconvento (25 minutes) is a medieval town surrounded by walls and its surroundings, you can admire the Crete Senesi, a Tuscan landscape of barren hills, oaks and solitary cypress trees and isolated farms in the top of high places. In 30 minutes you can reach the village of Radicofani, with its magnificent fortress from which you can admire a splendid view over the Val d'Orcia, described by Charles Dickens in his work entitled Pictures of Italy. Unmissable are the Renaissance town of Montepulciano (30 minutes), of Etruscan origin, with its medieval town in the shape of S, famous for its ancient architecture and its vineyards, and Pienza (10 minutes), defined as "ideal city" by Pius II and known for its old town full of churches and Renaissance palaces UNESCO, as well as for the production of the famous pecorino cheese. Within 50 minutes you will find Siena, which does not need any presentations, famous for the square of the Campo, in the shape of a shell, and for the Palio of the districts.