where sulfurous, mildly radioactive water rises from ground at a Nature and Nurture temperature of 51 degrees Celsius. Long revered for the healing powers of its waters, Bagno Vignoni attracted such famous guests in Toscana as Saint Catherine of , whose family hoped to see her cured. People still come from far away to drink the water and bathe. The piazza’s pool is no longer open to bathers and most of the spas The word brings to mind glorious old cities of art, connected that have sprung up in the area cater only to guests, but the four by cypress lined roads that wind through the neatly tended rows star Hotel Marucci (0577887112) has a pool that is open to day of vineyards and olive groves. Most do not realize that of all the guests at about 10 euros per day. The hotel is in a fifteenth-century regions in , Tuscany is the most wooded. In fact, the area south space that was a summer retreat for Pope Pius II. If you prefer a of Siena is a nature lover’s delight. The following suggests a day free, unregulated dip, the spring cascades down the southern hill in spent outdoors, first hiking and then relaxing one’s muscles in the front of town, making shallow pools in small stretches of white rock naturally healing waters of one of the many terme, thermal springs, where you may partake in the healing benefits of the water. in the area. For the nature enthusiast, there are many opportunities to explore, including several reserves in the near vicinity. Certain times of year, the ‘Nature Train’ initiative makes it possible to travel through defunct tracks in Tuscany’s less-touched areas by way of Thermal Baths in Bagno Vignoni old steam locomotives. Terme di Bagno Vignoni (Piazza delle Sorgenti 13, 0577887150) - Open June to September

Terme Adler Thermae Spa and Wellness Resort - to schedule treatments (Strada di Bagno Vignoni 1, 0577889001) Etruscans, Romans, and Middle-Agers revered the healing power of hydrotherapy at springs that bubble up from below the ground A bit closer to nature are the springs (12 throughout Tuscany. These warm, sulfuric, and sometimes even km south of Bagno Vignoni on the S2). There is not commercial radioactive waters are variously credited with helping digestion development like at Bagno Vignoni, but the natural outdoor springs and healing chronic diseases, skin conditions, and arthritis. Efficacy are larger, with sulfuric bicarbonate water that springs from the aside, bathing in their warm waters is a pleasant way to spend a earth at 52 degrees Celsius. The collecting pools have naturally portion of a day. Two nearby terme are the quaint town of Bagno developed calcium deposits and glow a bright white in the sun. Vignoni and the more rustic and natural, San Filippo. Be forewarned The most notable landmark is a large white stone called the Balena that the sulfuric tinge to the air, although not always noticeable, is Bianca, or ‘white whale.’ To reach the Fosso dell’Aqua Bianca and not for everyone. the Balena Bianca is a brief hike into the woods around the village, where the ‘white water ditch’ (unfortunately a bit of the romance is Bagno Vignoni (20 km south of on the S2) is lost in the translation of this spot where the bubbling thermal water most memorable for the town’s central piazza, an enormous square mixes with a cool spring to make a naturally wonderful bathing fifteenth-century pool of steaming water. The town occupies a site spot) is the first stop before reaching the ‘white whale’ of cascading

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B a g n o V i g n o n i : From Bagno Vignoni, there is a nice circular hike that follows the Orcia River some ways and then incorporates the tiny, towered hamlet of Vignoni Alto before again descending into Bagno Vignoni. The route is approximately 9 km and takes 3 hours. For a detailed description, see Gillian Price’s

Walking in Tuscany (p 102—5).

A good way to make a day around this hike might be to take a morning drive to Bagno Vignoni and take a half hour to explore town and its beautiful pool of a main Piazza. Next, stop in the Thermal baths of San Filippo alimentari for a sandwich and some waters to go. Begin the hike as suggested, stopping for lunch at the old suspension bridge or a calcified water. Like in Bagno Vignoni, the water here has long been bit further, at the Romitorio with its eagle’s eye view of the valley, lauded for its curative properties and was a retreat of Lorenzo il , and Monte Amiata. Finish the hike back down into Magnifico, the great Medici padrone. Bagno Vignoni and suit up for a dip in the pool of the Hotel Marucci and if you have made a reservation, a treatment at the spa. When thoroughly refreshed, have an afternoon drink in Bagno Hiking Vignoni’s piazza before returning to the Borgo. If you prefer to add to the challenge, the hike can be supplemented The Club Alpino Italiano (CIA) maintains walking trails with a two hour adjunct that starts in Castiglione d’Orcia and throughout Italy, marked by red and white stripes every few finishes in Bagno Vignoni, traveling through a series of fortresses hundred meters on old walls, trees, and signposts. Some areas are that sprang up along the pilgrimage route. This better maintained than others, and will not always be enough to hike necessitates two cars, because the return version of the trip is navigate, so it is necessary to always bring a good map. Look for more of a hike than the recreational walker would want. The one- small-scale maps, one for the , and one for the Val directional walk, however, is an easy downhill jaunt. Start at the d’Orcia. Generally, it is not a problem when paths lead through fortress town of Castiglione d’Orcia in the morning, hiking through private property as long as you leave the land as you found it. the fortress town of Rocca d’Orcia and descending 300 meters to ford the Orcia river (just foot-wetting, not deep or treacherous Many books devote themselves to walks in Tuscany, noting time unless there has been much rain). At this point, you are 40 minutes and distances, landmarks large and small, and good stopping points. into the previous hike and have the choice of making the scenic In these, the authors tend to use a mix of CIA routes and ones of loop above Bagno Vignoni (2:20 minutes) or returning directly to their own discovery. Always use caution by bringing a back up map, Bagno Vignoni. Price covers this hike as well, p106—109. as landmarks may change and old paths may become impassable. Several such volumes are listed later in this document. For more hikes, check the library for these guides:

- 100 - - 101 - • Price, Gillian. Walking in Tuscany; UK: Cicerone, 1998. Chianti, through Siena and Montalcino, and looping back through the Crete Senesi. There is more information on this route in the (Lists the following walks in this area: The Circuit, Terre di Siena website. Monte Oliveto Maggiore, Montalcino—Sant’Antimo, Bagno Vignoni Scenic Loop, Fortresses in the Val d’Orcia).

• Lasdun, James and Davis, Pia. Walking and Eating in Communing with Nature Tuscany and Umbria; New York: Penguin Books, 1997. San Quirico’s tourist office is also home to the Parco Artistico (Lists the following walks in this area: Montalcino- Naturale e Culturale della Val d’Orcia (Via Dante Alighieri Sant’Antimo, Sant’Antimo-Ripa d’Orcia, Ripa d’Orcia 33, 0577897211), which offers a wealth of information on itineraries, to Bagno Vignoni, Bagno Vignoni to , Pienza Ring specially-led outings, trails, etc. Walk, Pienza-, Murlo Ring Walk. NB: we do NOT recommend Monte Oliveto—Buonconvento, The Treno Natura (0577207413) is a new initiative to encourage Buonconvento—Montalcino) outdoor exploration by reopening defunct and little-used railways through more remote areas. Starting in the spring and ending in December, volunteers dust off steam locomotives from storage and Biking run trains between small towns to facilitate natural exploration. Courses are designed around particular themes. One day might be spent traveling from castle to castle along the pilgrimage route, The area around Buonconvento and to the south in the Val d’Orcia while another, the “porcini train” takes visitors to Monte Amiata at is made up of sweeping vistas and curving roads that make for the height of porcini season for a tasting. excellent biking. Butterfields and Backroads take biking groups through the hills of the Crete Senesi. A pleasant but challenging For bird watching in the Val d’Orcia, head for the Oasi Lipu di morning ride directly from the Borgo is taking the road north out of Montepulciano (Aqua viva di Montepulciano, Via del Lago 10, Bibbiano toward 0578767518, Year round, Wednesday to Sunday, 9 a.m.—1 p.m., 3 p.m.—7 p.m.). . The trip to Murlo and back usually takes about an hour to cover the 18 miles. The area to the west of Borgo Finocchieto deserves mention here for its extensive opportunities to commune with nature. The For more trails, complete with road descriptions, distances, maps, difference in landscape is distinct, as the hand of man has not ruled and good stopping points, see Siena’s tourist website biking so scrupulously in shaping the landscape. The land is wilder and homepage: terresienainbici.it and click the British flag for English. one finds thick woods whose trees sprang up mostly naturally, Under “Itineraries,” search for “day routes” in the area of your although there is a good deal of cultivated chestnut, rather than choice (Crete Senesi or Val d’Orcia are the most convenient) by in the neat grids of trees between Buonconvento and San Quirico. your preferred criteria. Also, the Eroica scenic back roads trail travels directly through Bibbiano on its long course from Greve in The Siena province supports eleven nature reserves, the largest

- 102 - - 103 - For more information on the parks and their wildlife (in Italian, but with good pictures and maps) see:

• Anselmi, Barbara. Le Riserve Naturale della Provincia di Siena; Montepulciano: Le Balze, 2001.

Further reading: hikes and itineraries in the Nature Reserve and towns West of Buonconvento

• Marini, Massimo. Chiusidino: its land and the Abbey of San Galgano-Historic, Naturalistic Itineraries; Chiusidino: Commune di Chiusidino, 1995. of which is the closest to Borgo Finocchieto. The Alto Merse This guide is written in English and its itineraries are of the highest detail, helpful when you want to know the makeup Nature Reserve occupies 2000 hectares (over 4500 acres) in the upper part of the Merse river valley and its confluences with the of an unusual rock outcropping, the species of flower in Rosia and Ricausa streams, around the communities of Chiusidino, bloom, or the history behind a crumbling wall. It includes a , and . The woods are predominately oak and wonderful detour at the Abbey of San Galgano. chestnut and support many species of forest and river life, including large cats, skunks, wild boar, roe buck, martens and diverse types of birds, small lizards and amphibians, snakes, crustaceans, and river shrimp. Timing in Brief

Hikes in the area lead through dense forest, along riverbanks, and Timing depends on a variety of choices. Please see individual through small farming villages. Brenna is home to a number of suggestions for approximate timing. mills, which used the power of the river to grind grain from the 13th century to this last. Also of interest is the thirteenth-century stone footbridge, Il Ponte della Pia, which takes its name from Dante’s Pia dei Tolomei who supposedly passed en route to the Maremma where she was exiled in The Inferno.

The Museo del Bosco di Orgia, housed in an old barn in the community of Orgia, is an alternative to the high cultural museums typical in Tuscany, revolving around the history of the forest, its wildlife, and its significance (Friday and Saturday 9:30 a.m.—12:30 p.m., and by appointment, 0577342097 or 0577342053).

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