Museum
Historic Residence
Spaces & PlacesTen tours from La Grancia, from half a day to a full day
Car tours through the Crete Senesi, the Val d'Orcia, the Val di Chiana, Siena and Chianti, starting and ending at La Grancia delle Serre, in the old town of Serre di Rapolano.
Pick a route or a number on the map to see its details.
- Crete Senesi
- Val d'Orcia
- Val di Chiana
- Siena and Chianti
The itineraries
10 tours
Crete Senesitours 1-3
The Crete Senesi and the Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore
The tour closest to the Grancia, among the clay hills: Asciano, Chiusure and the Benedictine abbey of Monte Oliveto.
- Crete Senesi
- 35 km
- 1 h of driving
- 3 h 15 in all
Buonconvento and Murlo
A walled village on the Via Francigena and, higher up among the woods, the Etruscans of Poggio Civitate.
- Crete Senesi
- 77 km
- 1 h 45 of driving
- 4 h 30 in all
Trequanda and the nearby villages
Trequanda, Montisi, Castelmuzio and Petroio: four small villages between the Crete and the Val d'Orcia, to enjoy at an easy pace.
- Crete Senesi
- 62 km
- 1 h 30 of driving
- 4 h 45 in all
Val d'Orciatours 4-6
Pienza and Monticchiello
The ideal Renaissance town and the countryside of the Val d'Orcia, both UNESCO World Heritage.
- Val d'Orcia
- 96 km
- 1 h 50 of driving
- 4 h 30 in all
San Quirico d'Orcia and Bagno Vignoni
The Via Francigena, a 16th-century garden and the square of thermal water at Bagno Vignoni.
- Val d'Orcia
- 85 km
- 1 h 55 of driving
- 4 h 45 in all
Montalcino and the Abbey of Sant'Antimo
The land of Brunello and, among the vineyards, the Romanesque abbey of Sant'Antimo.
- Val d'Orcia
- 95 km
- 2 h 05 of driving
- 4 h 45 in all
Val di Chianatours 7-8
Montepulciano and the Val di Chiana
Lucignano, the village shaped like an ellipse, and Piazza Grande in Montepulciano, the town of Vino Nobile.
- Val di Chiana
- 77 km
- 1 h 35 of driving
- 4 h 30 in all
Cortona and Lake Trasimeno
An Etruscan hill town and, just across the border in Umbria, the shores of Lake Trasimeno.
- Val di Chiana
- 115 km
- 1 h 50 of driving
- 4 h 45 in all
Siena and Chiantitours 9-10
Siena and Monteriggioni
Piazza del Campo, the cathedral, the hospital that owned the Grancia and the walls of Monteriggioni.
- Siena and Chianti
- 108 km
- 1 h 40 of driving
- 4 h 30 in all
Castelnuovo Berardenga and the castles of Chianti
The Chianti Classico closest to the Grancia: a fortified Sienese village, two castles among the vineyards, Gaiole and Radda.
- Siena and Chianti
- 109 km
- 2 h 25 of driving
- 5 h in all
We put them together for our guests. You set off in the morning and are back in the early afternoon, with time left for the spas or a little rest.
For each tour you will find the stops in order, the kilometres and driving times between them, and the route to open in Google Maps.
Four areas
- Crete Senesi: Asciano, Monte Oliveto Maggiore, Buonconvento, Murlo, Trequanda, Montisi, Castelmuzio, Petroio.
- Val d'Orcia: Pienza, Monticchiello, San Quirico d'Orcia, Bagno Vignoni, Montalcino, Sant'Antimo.
- Val di Chiana: Lucignano, Montepulciano, Cortona and Passignano sul Trasimeno.
- Siena and Chianti: Siena, Monteriggioni, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Brolio, Gaiole, Meleto, Radda.
Three of these places are UNESCO World Heritage sites: the historic centre of Siena since 1995, the historic centre of Pienza since 1996 and the Val d'Orcia since 2004.
The Grancia and the other granges
The Grancia of Serre was one of the fortified farms of the Santa Maria della Scala hospital of Siena, the pilgrims' hospital opposite the cathedral. The hospital held a large estate of farmland, at its height in the 14th and 15th centuries, organised in granges (grance) like this one.
You will meet others on the tours: Cuna near Buonconvento (tour 2), Montisi (3), Spedaletto near Pienza (4). In Siena (9) you can visit Santa Maria della Scala, which they all belonged to.
The ten tours in one PDF to print or to keep on your phone along the way (A5 booklet, 24 pages).
Photos
- 1. Gunther Tschuch, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- 2. Sailko, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- 3. Argentieri.Andrea, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- 4. Raffaele pagani, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- 5. Spike, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons
- 6. Dongio, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- 7. Martin Falbisoner, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- 8. LigaDue, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- 9. Ввласенко, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- 10. Eric Kilby, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
FAQ
How long do the tours take?
From half a day to a full day, stops included: from about three and a half hours (Crete Senesi and Monte Oliveto) to about 5 hours. Driving time ranges from just over an hour to about two hours and twenty minutes, for the Chianti castles.
Can they be done in an afternoon?
The closest ones can: the Crete Senesi and Monte Oliveto, Trequanda and the nearby villages. For Montalcino, Siena, Cortona and Chianti we suggest leaving in the morning.
Which tours pass UNESCO sites?
Four: Pienza and Monticchiello (the centre of Pienza and the Val d'Orcia), San Quirico d'Orcia and Bagno Vignoni, Montalcino and Sant'Antimo (the Val d'Orcia), Siena and Monteriggioni (the centre of Siena).
Do I need a car?
Yes, they are all car tours; in the towns, the visit is then on foot.
Set off from the Grancia and come back to it
Four Junior Suites in the old town of Serre di Rapolano: in the evening you come back to the same place, with no need to repack.
Check availability