The best cycling routes around Monticiano

The Cippo is located at the entrance of the Strada Bianca on the SP99 side

Chiusdino is a wonderful medieval village located in the Merse Valley among the Metalliferous Hills. Its origins date back to the Lombard domination of Tuscany between 568 and 569. The town still retains its medieval appearance and some sections of the double city walls. It is also possible to find medieval houses, including the alleged house of San Galgano (Galgano Guidotti), where the saint is believed to have been born around 1150.

Chiusdino is a wonderful medieval village located in the Merse Valley among the Metalliferous Hills. Its origins date back to the Lombard domination of Tuscany between 568 and 569. The town still retains its medieval appearance and some sections of the double city walls. It is also possible to find medieval houses, including the alleged house of San Galgano (Galgano Guidotti), where the saint is believed to have been born around 1150.

The Montesiepi Hermitage was built immediately after the saint's death, over the ancient hut where San Galgano lived during his last year (1181). The hermitage was consecrated in 1185 by the bishop of Volterra, Ildebrando Pannocchieschi. The small complex consists of the circular church interrupted only by the small apse, the chapel with frescoes by Lorenzetti, and the entrance porch. In the porch, look down to the left and look for an "original" medieval plaque that reminds the pilgrim... that he must die and that life is short. The original church was circular, then the entrance hall was added in 1200. The bell tower and Lorenzetti's chapel were added in the following century. The rectory dates back to the 18th century. The dome, constructed from alternating rows of white stones, is extremely elegant. Inside the Hermitage, in the center of the Rotonda, there is the famous Sword of San Galgano, stuck in the rock for over 800 years.

Built in the 13th century in Gothic style and dedicated to the saint from Chiusdino, today it is completely in ruins: only the walls remain standing, with the apse still in evidence, perfectly facing east, while on the upper part of the facade there are two pointed windows. The roof of the Abbey of San Galgano is no longer there today. The "official" version says that it deteriorated and then fell over the centuries, while an alternative version, according to some legend and according to others truth, states that it was originally made of lead, and was sold by Girolamo Vitelli in 1550. Whatever the truth behind the roof of the abbey, after some restoration attempts that went badly, at the end of the 18th century it was deconsecrated and left to the elements until the present day. The ruins of the Abbey of San Galgano, with its profile still intact and immersed in the Tuscan countryside, offer a truly incredible and particular view. In addition to the roof, the floor is also missing, which during the summer turns into a grassy blanket, while you can still see a transept with three naves and 4 chapels with cross vaults. Next to the Abbey of San Galgano there is the cloister, which was rebuilt at the beginning of the last century, using the original materials. Some accessory rooms are also very beautiful, which can also be visited with the entrance ticket to the abbey, including the chapter house, where the monks originally met to deliberate the main rules of the community, and the scriptorium, which was the place where the monks copied the manuscripts.

Small village near Monticiano.

A great view of the surrounding mountains.

This church is dedicated to Saint Giusto, Bishop of Volterra, and his priest brother Clemente. According to legend, it would arise on the ruins of the Temple of Gianus, from which the name of the village derives, Monte di Giano, which later became Monticiano. The church was built in the early 1200s in Romanesque-Gothic style. The façade is made of limestone of various colors, with a portal crowned by a round arch. On the architrave of the portal is carved a braid pattern, as in the side door, which is decorated with a bull's head and a snake holding a lily in its mouth. These decorations come from the Romanesque and Lombard tradition and date back to the twelfth century. At the back of the church stands a sail bell tower from the sixteenth century.