San Casciano Active
If you ask an inhabitant of San Casciano dei Bagni which is the most beautiful point of this area, the answer is not immediate. It is all a matter of views, which in this last strip of Tuscany, nestled in the Valdichiana Senese, bordering of the Val d’Orcia, Umbria and Lazio regions, change and alternate the profile of Monte Amiata with the Chianti vineyards, the medieval castles with the Roman thermal
sanctuary, the Via Francigena with the deep ravines.
With the San Casciano Active project, 8 routes have been created to cross by bike, on foot or on horseback The visitor can enjoy all the beauties that this magical land offers: the Monte Cetona with olive groves and rocky walls, pedal between and relax in the thermal springs that still fill the ancient pools, visit the village of Celle sul Rigo, climb its bell tower and then ride to the ancient Via Francigena that crosses Ponte a Rigo, cross the vineyards of Palazzone, stop in one of the famous cellars and then visit the imposing castle of
Fighine and return to the village of San Casciano dei Bagni. The first of these itineraries called “Le Sorgenti”, guides the visitor to discover the well known thermal waters of this corner of Tuscany.
Crossed areas
Forty-two thermal springs, at a temperature of 40 degrees, with a flow of 5.5 million water per day. These are the numbers of one of the many peculiarities of San Casciano dei Bagni that have always been under the eyes of the world: in fact, since Roman times, the thermal baths have attracted visitors and investments. Everyone has frequented them a little: from Emperor Augustus to many famous people.
But the territory of San Casciano Bagni surprises in every aspect, in the border castles like Fighine, in the villages like Celle Sul Rigo and Palazzone, in the gastronomic traditions (from the famous pici that have their homeland here, to ciaffagnone).
Badlands and wild boars, breathtaking landscapes and travertine, wine, Chianina and extra virgin olive oil give the picture of an intimate, extreme border area, in a continuous mix of people and travelers.
The other characterizing element of Val di Chiana, inextricably linked to the origin of man and his history, is the water. Clear waters, lakes, mirrors in the sky for the Etruscans, residues in the marsh that characterized the valley and today are precious nature reserves. It is in reclaiming the marsh that man’s ingenuity was expressed to the maximum level, by transforming an inhospitable and unhealthy place into a very fertile valley, changing the territorial economy, the life and history of its inhabitants. The engineering and hydraulic interventions, the architectural decisions in the buildings in the era of land reclamation have also changed the landscape, characterizing it, making it somewhat unique.