Enjoy the view of the Crete Senesi and discover gems such as the ancient Grancia di Cuna
This 26 km leg begins in Siena and takes less than 7 hours. A challenging course along the unpaved roads of the Val d'Arbia, with rolling landscapes and views of the skyline of Siena, leading to the Grancia di Cuna, an ancient fortified farm that was owned by the Santa Maria della Scalahospice.
Continuing along the foothills of the Crete Senesi, you pass Monteroni and reach Quinciano. A short distance away is the fortified town of Lucignano d'Arbia, with the Romanesque church of San Giovanni Battista. After a stretch along the railway line you reach the end of this leg in Ponte d'Arbia.
To find a rest stop you must walk away from the route towards Isola d'Arbia, while water (very little) can also be found at the Grancia di Cuna.
In Isola d'Arbia you'll find the Romanesque church of St. Hilary, named after a saint who was venerated in France. The route passes by the Grancia di Cuna fortress, built in the midst of vast properties of the hospital of Santa Maria della Scala in Siena.
WHERE NOT A SINGLE STONE HAS CHANGED DOWN THE CENTURIES
Siena shines perfectly from a distance in its medieval magnificence. The three hills amid which the city rests rise up like an idyllic film set, the old boundaries soften like the past into a countryside that sometimes still seem like the scene painted by Ambrosia Lorenzetti in the Allegory of Good Government in the halls of Siena's city hall.
Monteroni d'Arbia is considered the gateway to the southern province of Siena, a beautiful area crossed by the Via Cassia. It is a small country whose development is linked to the hospital of Santa Maria della Scala. The town of 7,161 inhabitants is 13 km from Siena and was formed in 1810, under Napoleonic rule. Until that moment, in fact, it was part of Buonconvento.Lucignano - Just past the small town of Monteroni d'Arbia is Lucignano. There you'll find two 14th-century gate-towers and a medieval tower converted into a massive tower of the Romanesque church of San Giovanni Battista. The water mill, which appeared in the first century BC, may be considered the first industrial installation of the story.
AT THE GATES OF SIENA, ON ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TRACKS OF THE VIA FRANCIGENA
The development of Monteroni d’Arbia is inextricably linked to the transition of the via Francigena, and over time both the village and its land have become key stops for pilgrims who pass through Siena.
Arbia is the fourteenth leg of the itinerary of Sigeric. It stood at the foot of the Crete Senesi, the ancient desert of Accona, in Ponte d'Arbia. This territory in medieval times was partially submerged with water, and at one surfacing point stood the small Romanesque church of St. Hilary, a place of devotion of the French pilgrims. On the crest of the Creti Senesi is the monastery of Monte Oliveto Maggiore, with a beautiful frescoed cloister.
AT THE GATES OF SIENA, ON ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TRACKS OF THE VIA FRANCIGENA
The development of Monteroni d’Arbia is inextricably linked to the transition of the via Francigena, and over time both the village and its land have become key stops for pilgrims who pass through Siena.