Holiday apartment in Palazzina – Culture, Trails and Traditions

If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Palazzina, you can combine your stay with historic trails, churches, local festivals and regional specialities. The historic Via Lauretana passes through Asciano and connects Cortona, Montepulciano and Siena. In October, L’Eroica brings historic bicycles through the historic centre of Asciano; the non-competitive cycling tour has taken place there every year since 1997. The Palio dei Ciuchi takes place in Asciano on every Sunday in September in the town’s streets.

Culture, Churches and Historic Traces

Asciano combines important buildings with vivid details in the townscape. The Museo Palazzo Corboli is officially recognised by the Tuscany Region as a “museum of regional significance”. The Basilica di Sant’Agata is a landmark in Asciano. The Church of San Francesco houses a large altarpiece from the workshop of the Della Robbia family. A 15th-century fountain stands in Piazza del Grano, while the Palazzo del Podestà displays historic coats of arms.

The history of the religious buildings reaches particularly far back. The Church of San Giovanni in Vescona, which was located in the area of today’s Pievina, is first mentioned in the year 714. The Pieve di S. Ippolito is mentioned in a document from AD 714 and is considered one of the oldest churches in the area. Its rectangular interior bears traces of a three-aisled basilica; the Romanesque façade has a simple round-arched portal. The Pieve also contains a fresco depicting a “Sacra Conversazione”, which may include a portrait of Raphael as a young man.

The Etruscan necropolis of Poggio Pinci also leads back to an earlier era. It consists of underground chamber tombs with long dromoi. The ancient mills of Asciano offer a different perspective on the use of the landscape: they were located predominantly along the Bestina watercourse and used water power to grind grain and, in the Middle Ages, also to process metal.

Trails, Landscape and Regional Specialities

For culinary interests, the white truffle market in Asciano offers visits to truffle woods and tastings of dishes with white truffle. This allows a cultural stay to be complemented by a pleasurable experience.

Walks and longer trails also offer different highlights. The Percorso #2: Asciano circular route leads from Asciano–Monte Oliveto Maggiore (MOM) railway station to Asciano. Along a trail beside the ancient mills of Asciano, you can see some of the mills that have now been converted into private homes, as well as the remains of water channels and weirs. The Percorso #1: Montalceto trail crosses the open landscape typical of the Crete Senesi and then leads into the more heavily wooded part of the area. The different trail routes help you plan active days according to the landscape and your preferred pace.

For cycling travellers, the Arbia–Asciano stage of the Via Lauretana cycle route passes the houses of Vescona and Pievina before reaching Asciano. Along the Via Lauretana, Pievina and its parish church offer a turn-off to Badia a Rofeno. This brings historic connections, townscapes and changing landscapes together, without requiring every day’s itinerary to look the same.

Borgo La Pievina – Pool Villa is located at Strada della Pievina 16, 53041 Palazzina, Italy. Your choice of holiday apartment can be based on your preferred daily pace: between churches and historic coats of arms, the dates of the Palio dei Ciuchi and L’Eroica, truffle woods, and trails through open and wooded landscapes.

Discover more destinations

You can also discover Arbia, Chiusure and Monte Sante Marie as additional destinations.

For the higher-level travel overview: Asciano.