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| Escursions |
| In Tuscany
past & present we cross paths and merge continuously, everywhere.
Travelling we meet, set between the hills and lost in the countryside,
Etruscan ruins, medieval villas, castles, monastries and artistic
towns. |
| Obviously
that is not to miss out the gastronomic surprises, not to forget
the wine. A tour of Tuscany is therefore a spiritual adventure
yet at the same time being an ode to taste and the senses. You
can start your tour from here at the Pieve Vecchia, prestigious
country house, situated in the commune of Monterchi, along the
ss 221, between the Piana del Cerfone, adjacent to the Val Tiberina,
the most eastern border of Tuscany, with close contact with
Umbria, Le Marche & Romagna. |
| It's an interesting
area artistically, riligiously and for its natural hillsides
and within the radius of some 80 kms from here, where we would
like to point out the following: |
| Monterchi.
Justa few hundred meters away from the Pieve Vecchia, an old
medieval village, known for the home of the famous Piero della
Francesca's alfresco "Madonna del Parto". |
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Aerial view of
Monterchi |
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Close up
of Monterchi |
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Madonna del parto
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| San
Sepolcro. One of the most important medieval centre
of the Upper Tiber valley. Enclosed within its ancient town
walls dating back to 500 which even today can be seen protecting
its old towers, gothic buildings and palaces. In 1442 one of
the most important italian painter of all time, Piero
della Francesca was born here. In the main town
picture gallery you can still admire some of this artists important
works of which one is very well known, the large fresco "The
Resurrection of Christ". For those with a passion for the
medieval here you can watch many of the traditional medieval
games that live on ie, the crossbow palio, crossbowman in original
costume from San Sepolcro & Gubbio. |
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| The Resurrection of Christ "
Piero della Francesca " |
San Giuliano" Piero della
Francesca " |
Polittico della Misericordia"
Piero della Francesca " |
Closeup of Medieval
City Center |
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Crossbow
Palio |
Crossbow
arrows |
Eremo
di Montecasale |
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| Arezzo.
Medieval city, surrounded by hillsides of wines and olives,
rising from the centre of four valleys rich in history and culture
as well as locally grown produce of the highest quality. A must
to visit is the famous antique fair that takes place once a
month in the main piazza and surrounding streets. Two museums,
one archaeological where there is a type of roman amphitheatre
as part of a Olivetano convent, the other a medieval picture
gallrey full of numerous artistic monuments where you can find
works by Piero della Francesca, Giorgio Vasari and Andrea della
Robbia just to name a few. |
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| Caprese Michelangelo Birthplace
of Michelangelo |
Church where Michelangelo was
baptised |
La flagellazione Piero della Francesca |
Town view Arezzo |
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| Anghiari.
Famous for the battle of Anghiari in 1440 where the opposing
Milanesi & Fiorentini met. Leonardo da Vinci actually painted
a fresco in the Palazzo della Signora in Florence, but it has
never come to light, and is still in fact being sought after.
Pleasurable walkways suround this city allowing the tourist
to travel around the centre and climb up to the hillsides beyond. |
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View of Anghiari |
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Partial view of
Anghiari borgo |
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View of Anghiari |
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Anghiari Pieve di Micciano |
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| Città
di Castello. Lying between Val Tiberina hills, Città
di Castello boasts a sizable artistic patrimonial. Next to the
13th Century architecture of the Palazzo dei Priori & the
Palazzo del Podestà, rises the Duomo of roman origin;
and a short distance away, the gothic church San Domenico. Also
to note is the Pinacoteca together with the Palazzo Vitelli
della Cannoniera which house some of the most important collections
in Umbria, and in addition the first Burri museum with a collection
of works that the artist donated to his town. Between the end
of August up until the beginning of September the "National
Festival of Chamber Music" is one of the more important
town festivals, where a veriety of important artists, concerts,
ballets and theatre take place. |
| Assisi.
A must with every tour, Francesco's town has managed to mantain
not-withstanding massive tourism and recent devastating earthquake,
it's wonderful medieval atmosphere stepped in sainthood. Arriving
you immediatly notice the enormous basilica that lifts the town
above, standing with pride on Mount Subasio. Other places where
San Francesco visited frequently are L'Eremo di Montecasale
& the Verna. |
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| Assisi
Eremo delle carceri |
Basilica
Assisi |
Assisi
Santuario S.Francesco P.za Inferiore |
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| There are
many other places to visit, among these we would like you to
remember are Gubbio, Siena, Cortona, Perugia and Urbino all
of which are within easy reach, to discover other aspects of
the huge artistic patrimonial surrounding us in this special
area where the natural, architectural and cultural become supreme.
In the hearth of all this in central Italy one is also within
easy reach of Rome and Florence, just one & a half hours
away from "La Pieve Vecchia". |
