Crete Senesi

The soil here is marine clay laid down when this was seabed in the Pliocene, and it produces a landscape unlike the rest of Tuscany: grey-blue rolling hills, largely treeless, with erosion gullies called calanchi and isolated dome-shaped mounds called biancane. The cypress rows and lone farmhouses on the ridges are the most photographed in Italy. The white truffle of San Giovanni d'Asso is gathered here in autumn and has its own fair. The abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore sits in a wood of cypresses in the middle of it, with a cloister frescoed by Signorelli and Sodoma.

Background

The Crete Senesi lie immediately south of Siena and take in the comuni of Asciano, Buonconvento, Monteroni d'Arbia, Rapolano Terme and San Giovanni d'Asso. They border the Chianti Senese to the north, the Val di Chiana to the east and the Val d'Orcia to the southwest, and the semi-arid Accona Desert lies nearby. The grey clay, called mattaione, was laid down by the Pliocene sea that lay over the land some 2.5 to 4.5 million years ago. Rainwater ponds in the valleys are known as fontoni, big springs, and the Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore stands 10 km south of Asciano.

Source: Wikipedia, "Crete Senesi"

The main sights

• The clay hills - grey-blue bare ridges from an ancient seabed.
• The calanchi and biancane - erosion gullies and pale dome mounds.
• Monte Oliveto Maggiore - a cypress-shaded abbey with Sodoma frescoes.
• The white truffle - gathered around San Giovanni d'Asso in autumn.

When to go

April to June when the fields are green and again after harvest when the clay is bare; both look completely different. Truffle fairs run in November.

Good to know

This is a driving landscape with few sights and long empty roads. Summer heat is severe with no shade. Many photogenic farmhouses are private with no access.

Nearby

Siena lies northwest; Montalcino is south.

Key facts