Two days in the Tuscan countryside

A quick trip to a new corner of Italy never hurts. This time, partly under the pretext of spending 2 days in a SPA in Chianciano Terme, we actually toured many beautiful villages between the Val d'Orcia and Chiusi. The villages I mention are very well known: Montepulciano, San Quirico d'Orcia, Pienza and Montalcino: it's almost impossible to say which is the most beautiful.

Less well known, I believe, are Bagno Vignoni, an incredible village whose central square consists of a thermal pool, Bagni San Filippo with a stream set in the woods where several hot springs flow together in a succession of "pozze" (pools) where you can bathe all year round and admire the incredible limestone formations and, finally, the Abbey of Sant'Antimo, a fantastic Romanesque structure set in an even more magnificent setting, which tradition says was commissioned by Charlemagne and where, to complete the magic of the atmosphere, it is possible at certain times to listen to the Gregorian chants of the monks. To conclude, I want to talk about Chiusi, which we passed through on the way back, pointing out its beautiful Archaeological Museum and its Cathedral.

In fact there is also more to come back here for, to visit some Etruscan tombs located outside the town, whose visit must be booked, and the Labyrinth of Porsenna, a system of tunnels beneath the city, probably dug for water supply but wrongly attributed to the tomb of the great Etruscan King Porsenna. Beautiful, once again, the varied panoramas of these areas.