Uliveto 4

Villa Uliveto is ideally placed for visiting Siena, as well as exploring Chianti, the Val d'Orcia and the classical sights of Central Tuscany.

While back country roads lead to nearby towns that provide all the essential services, they also head to the beautiful Crete Senese, the gentle clay hills south of Siena and some of its most photographed landscape. Not far to the north, instead, are Chianti wineries of note where nurtured vines and oak barrels work their magic; the owners of Uliveto can easily arrange a wine tour that permits one to go tasting both the wine and the Tuscan cuisine that best accompanies it.

Quite likely the call of Siena, the medieval city seen on the horizon, will be irresistable. This medieval city, now famed for its beautiful shell-shaped Piazza del Campo, site of the Palio horse race, rests on three hills enclosed by ancient walls. It is a lively city, full of meandering streets, good shopping and popular restaurants, yet it has maintained an old-world charm that favours an evening stroll over a hurried errand.

Siena sits at the heart of classic Tuscany and in under an hour there are a variety of destinations that promise a good day out.

Pienza, Pope Pius II’s ‘ideal Renaissance city’ is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a window on the beautiful Val d’Orcia; it is also a centre for production of delicious percorino cheese.

Montalcino and Montepulciano, each sitting high above spectacular vistas, are known for prestige wines such as their Brunello and Vino Nobile respectively. And when museums and ancient stones begin to blur, the thermal waters in spas in Rapolano Terme and Bagno Vignoni are an antidote for the travel-weary. Of course the peace and comfort of Cipressi may easily argue for a day at home, and perhaps another.