Tuscany Offbeat: Towers, Secrets & Slow Days

Suggested time: 1 h

This castle was built in 1154 and most probably the name Strozzavolpe comes from Scoriavolpe. Here it was built by Benuccio da Salimbeni and then sold to the Florentine Adimari family. Looking up f…

Start here before the day warms up. The castle is eerie and beautiful — ask locals about the legend of the strangled fox and you'll understand the name.

Suggested time: 1 h

The Elsa River amazes. For a good stretch of its 60 kilometers it is an almost dry riverbed, even in spring if the season is incredibly dry like this year. Then suddenly, just before Colle Val d'El…

The Elsa river runs in shades of jade and turquoise that seem impossible for Italy. Wear shoes you don't mind getting wet — the banks are the best part.

Suggested time: 1 h

The first news of Fabbricciano and its church date back to 1134 when in a document, where, however, reference is made to the Church of Saints Donato and Biagio, the place is mentioned as part of th…

A tiny church perched in silence. Almost nobody comes here. The frescoes inside are faded but speak louder than many famous museums.

Suggested time: 1 h

Perched on a hilltop in the Val d'Elsa, the enchanting village of San Gimignano is a captivating tapestry of history, art, and culture. Its skyline, punctuated by medieval towers, whispers stories …

Start with the big picture — walk the historic center and get oriented. Morning is the only time you'll have it relatively to yourself.

Suggested time: 2 h

In this small museum there are torture instruments from all over Europe, some even dating back to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, or philological reconstructions from the nineteenth and tw…

The Museum of Torture is not for the faint-hearted, but it is genuinely thought-provoking — a reminder of how thin the line between civilization and brutality has always been.

Suggested time: 1 h

Vernaccia di San Gimignano is considered one of the oldest wines in all of Italy. It is produced from the grapes of the native vine of the same name, typical of this area located in the Sienese hil…

End the day with a glass of Vernaccia — the golden white wine of San Gimignano that has been made here since the 1200s. Pair it with pecorino and let the towers glow in the evening light.

Suggested time: 45 min

Its very simple facade still retains the characters of the original architecture. The door on the main facade is no longer used as an entrance, but ordinarily the door opening on the right side is …

The Church of St. Augustine is quiet and contemplative — Benozzo Gozzoli's frescoed apse is extraordinary and almost always crowd-free.

Suggested time: 1 h 30 min

Built by Master Richard in 1239 as the inscription near the entrance portal states, it has the shape of a parallelopiped. The façade, traversed by three rows of mullioned windows between the torch-…

In Volterra, the Priori Palace is one of the oldest town halls in Tuscany. Climb to the top for a view that explains why the Etruscans chose this ridge three thousand years ago.

Suggested time: 2 h

The museum was established in the 1930s at the Bishop's Palace, desired by Corrado Ricci in the early 20th century and established thanks to Cathedral Canon Maurizio Cavallini. Forced to close due …

The Museum of Sacred Art in Volterra holds treasures that belong in a famous gallery but sit here in blissful anonymity. Budget two hours and be rewarded.

Suggested time: 1 h

Piazza del Campo has been the core of Siena since Roman times, when the Romans had their Forum here. The square has a distinctive shell shape and it is here that the famous Palio di Siena is held. …

Arrive early at Piazza del Campo — the most beautiful medieval square in the world is best experienced before the tour groups arrive. Sit on the brick and feel the city breathe.

Suggested time: 1 h

To honor the memory of his maternal uncle Enea Silvio Piccolomini (Pope Pius II), and to preserve the rich bibliographical patrimony that the pontiff and humanist had collected while in Rome, Cardi…

The Piccolomini Library inside the Duomo is jaw-dropping: fifteen frescoes by Pinturicchio in perfect color. Do not skip it to save the entrance fee — you will regret it.

Suggested time: 1 h

The Bottini of Siena. While the tourists crowd the surface, you can visit a very quiet and mysterious area of Siena: we are talking about the Bottini, an underground network of aqueducts 25 km long…

The Bottini are Siena's medieval underground aqueducts — twenty-five kilometers of tunnels carved in the 1200s, still largely unknown to visitors. A cool, mysterious, and deeply romantic end to your Tuscan journey.