asciano guide sienaThe citizens of Asciano are known as “garbati ascianesi”, courteous people from Asciano, perhaps for the help given by the local army to the Sienese during the battle of Montaperti in 1260, or perhaps for the name of the wool imported here in the 14th century from Algrave in Portugal. In this town we will see the Collegiate church of Saint Agatha with its crenellated bell tower, the Palace of the Podesta decorated with coats of arms of the Sienese Vicars, the churches of Saint Francis and Saint Augustin (exterior), and the Wheat square with its beautiful central travertine fountain by Paolo Ghini.
Not far away in a pharmacy backshop we can see a restored Roman mosaic, discovered in 1899 after being hidden under a garden for centuries. It was in an ancient Roman villa probably built by Gneo Domizio Afro as a private property of the Emperor Marco Aurelio.
A walk in the Matteotti street will allow you to taste some of the local specialities such as the Giardi Panpepato (spicy bread), still produced in an artisan way, and the Spicy Wine, a liquor brought back to life after 200 years thanks to the fortuitous discovery of the original 18th century recipe some years ago.

Half day tour - maximum 3 hours. Check Rates
Entrance fees to museums are not included. Check  Useful information

If you have time, it is possible to add to the tour a visit to :
- Cassioli Museum, founded thanks to a considerable bequest of paintings by Amos and his son Giuseppe Cassioli. This unique museum in the province of Siena is entirely dedicated to 19th century Sienese painting,
- Corboli Palace, a 13th century residence, housing the Civic Archaeological and Sacred Art Museum which gathers important examples of Sienese painting and ceramics. Among the works of art the wooden cross by Giovanni Pisano, the Virgin with Child by Segna di Bonaventura, the extraordinary triptych of Rofena by Ambrogio Lorenzetti, the delicate wooden Annunciation by Francesco di Valdambrino, the wonderful Nativity of the Virgin by the Master of Observance and other paintings of later centuries among which the Crucifixion by Bernardino Mei, the most renowned Sienese Baroque painter.

These are simply suggestions for itineraries, but we will be glad to create a tailor made itinerary for you, according to your preferences and time you have at your disposal.

 

BOOK NOW FOR FREE TASTINGS IN ASCIANO

The Asciano Natural Shopping Centre organises free tastings for visitors having a guided tour in town. When booking a guided tour in Asciano it will be possible to taste typical products of this territory (pork cold meat, sweets, olive oil, panpepato etc),  Ask to the Centro Guide for more information.

 

 

After a walk in Asciano, if you do not wish to visit any museums, we can go on to San Giovanni d’Asso, a little borough around the castle which dominates the valley of the river Asso below. By the way, San Giovanni is better known for its truffles than for its castle, and for this noble tuberous root they have created the very first Italian Truffle Museum.

Half day tour - maximum 3 hours. Check Rates
Entrance fees to the Truffle Museum are not included. Check  Useful information

These are simply suggestions for itineraries, but we will be glad to create a tailor made itinerary for you, according to your preferences and time you have at your disposal.

 



siena guide
Siena Unesco City Site
With its magnificent Campo square and its imposing Cathedral, Siena opens its heart to you
Guided tours Hiking
guide siena il palio

Palio and Contrads

The roll of drums and flag-waiving follow the Sienese people throughout all their life. The contradas are ancient medieval districts but still the backbone of this city

Guided tours

san gimignano torri guide siena

San Gimignano and the Vernaccia Wine
Miraculously hidden by the fog, thanks to the bishop of Modena, the city with one hundred towers has preserved its glory and aspect, even today

Guided tours Hiking

guide siena colle val d'elsa

Colle Val d’Elsa and Crystal

From Arnolfo di Cambio to Jean Nouvel, this city will impress you with its energy and capacity to renovate itself. Colle owes its richness to the Elsa river, which first allowed for the development of its wool industry, followed by paper manufacturing, and today the production of crystal

Guided tours Hiking

 

guide siena certaldo

Certaldo and Boccaccio

Friar Onion wanted to impress his followers with the feather of the Archangel Gabriel, but he found only lumps of coal and smartly he passed them off as relics of the martyrdom of Saint Laurence

Guided tours

 

guide siena vinci paese

Vinci and the Museum of Leonardo

To understand the genius of Leonardo you must visualize his creations, and thanks to the museum dedicated to Leonardo in the ancient castle of Counts Guidi this will be possible

Guided tours

volterra guide siena

Volterra

From lucomony to prison to mental hospital, this has always been a town known for its alabaster. Today, it is known as the town of vampires thanks to New Moon of the famous Saga Twilight

CHIANTI GUIDE SIENA

Chianti Shine and Wine

You will not only find Chianti DOC and DOCG wines, but also castles and little boroughs hidden among the vineyards of Sangiovese, Malvasia, Trebbiano e Colorino

Guided tours

guide siena montagnola

Montagnola and Mount Maggio

Marble quarries and heroic episodes of partisan resistance make those places, still unknown to tourists, extremely fascinating

Guided tours

san galgano guide siena

Saint Galgano and the Sword in the Rock

A town of only ruins now, but long time ago it was a very healthy abbey just a few steps from the place where Saint Galgano converted himself and his sword became a cross

Guided tours

buonconvento guide siena

Buonconvento

A hospice for pilgrims and a place of death for Henry the VII, Buonconcvento has been declared one of The Most Beautiful Boroughs in Italy

Guided tours

monte oliveto guide siena

Monte Oliveto Mother House

Known as a place of spiritual retirement for Saint Bernanrdo Tolomei, and a place of high artistic value thanks to the frescoes of Luca Signorelli and the eccentric Sodoma

Guided tours

asciano guide siena

Asciano and the Sienese Clay Hills

The landscape of the Ambrogio Lorenzetti is famous for the fresco of the Good Government is still evident when you cross this part of Tuscany, scattered with gullies and biancanas

Guided tours

pienza guide siena

Pienza and Pope Pio II

Dream of Enea Silvio Piccolomini, its own jewel among the olive trees, Pienza will surprise you with its Renaissance shapes and its Medieval charm

Guided tours

san quirico collegiata guide siena

Saint Quirico and the Orcia Valley

Saint Quiric is documented as stop XII by the Bishop of Canterbury, during his journey back from Rome in the year 990

Guided tours

bagno vignoni guide siena

Bagno Vignoni

Saint Catherine tested her faith here and Michel de Montaigne described it as miserliness

Guided tours

montalcino guide siena

Montalcino and Brunello Wine

A region known for not only its wine, but for tourism as well. In the Fortress is where the Sieneses sheltered to escape the Florentine lordship

Guided tours

sant antimo guide siena

Saint Antimo Abbey

A mystic place where the Gregorian chants resound and where you will be overcome by a disarming peace

Guided tours

montepulciano guide siena

Montepulciano and Nobile Wine

In his Bacchus in Tuscany, Francesco Redi wrote “Montepulciano is the king of every wine”, he referred to the taste or to the fact that noble people were involved in the production; we let you believe what you prefer

Guided tours

guide siena chiusi

Chiusi e gli Etruschi

And now we should tell about the Italian [labyrinth] that Porsenna, king of Etruria made for himself as a tomb, and at the same time to exceed the vanity of foreign kings. But as gorgeousness is over the imagination …., Plyni the Elder Naturalis Historiae

chianciano guide siena

Chianciano and the Spa

Our grandfathers would have referred to it with an Italian rhyme Chianciano fegato sano (healthy liver) but this thermal city has come a long way, and it is now a posh spa spot

Guided tours

cetona guide siena

Cetona

The pretty little alleys going around the hill top take us away from a very far past which is from the Stone Age

Guided tours

amiata guide siena

Amiata Mountain and Abbadia San Salvatore

From the sacred wood for the Etruscans to the powerful Benedictine abbey of Saint Salvatore during the time of Charlemagne, from the little medieval hermitages where Saint Bernardino served his novitiate, to the Jurisdavidic devotees of David Lazzaretti in the XIX c., Amiata is for everybody the Sacred Mountain

Guided tours