Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
heart of his Inferno , which
compares Monteriggioni's
“ring-shaped citadel …
crowned with towers” to
giants standing in a moat.
The walls, which are still
perfectly preserved, are best
viewed from the direction of
the Colle di Val d'Elsa road.
Within the walls, the sleepy
village consists of a large
piazza, a pretty Romanesque
church, a few houses, a
couple of craft shops, restau-
rants, and shops selling many
of the excellent local Castello
di Monteriggioni wines.
Siena 4
See pp216-23.
Asciano 5
Road map D3.
*
6,250.
V
Corso Matteotti 78
(0577 71 88 11).
@
n
(
Sat.
Temptation of St Benedict (1508) by Sodoma in Monte Oliveto Maggiore
The road from Siena to
Asciano passes through the
strange Crete landscape of
clay hillocks, almost bare of
vegetation and looking like
massive anthills. Asciano itself
is medieval, and retains much
of its fortified wall, built in
1351. The main street, Corso
Matteotti, is lined with smart
shops and Classical palazzi . At
the top of the street, in Piazza
della Basilica, there is a large
fountain built in 1472. Facing it
is the late 13th-century Roman-
esque Basilica di Sant'Agata .
Monte Oliveto
Maggiore 6
Road map D3. Tel 0577 70 70 18.
# 9:15am-noon, 3:15-5:45pm
daily (to 6pm in the summer).
The Museo Civico Archeologico
e d'Arte Sacra in the Palazzo
Corboli unites two previously
separate museums under one
roof. Included in the collection
are late Siena School master-
pieces - Duccio's Madonna
and Child and Ambrogio
Lorenzetti's unusual St Michael
the Archangel . Also on display
are local Etruscan finds from
the Necropoli di Poggio Pinci ,
5 km (3 miles) east of the
village. The artifacts come
from tombs built between the
7th and 4th centuries BC. On
Via Mameli, the Museo Amos
Cassioli has a display of
portraits by Cassioli, who lived
here from 1832-91, and other
modern works by local artists.
R
The approach to this abbey is
through thick cypresses, with
stunning views of eroded
cliffs and sheer drops to the
valley floor. It was founded
in 1313 by the Olivetan order,
who were dedicated to
restoring the simplicity of
Benedictine monastic rule.
The 15th-century rose-pink
abbey church is a Baroque
building with outstanding
choir stalls of inlaid wood.
Alongside is the Great
Cloister (1427-74), whose
walls are covered by a cycle
of frescoes on the life of
St Benedict, begun by Luca
Signorelli, a pupil of Piero
della Francesca, in 1495. He
completed nine panels; the
remaining 27 were finished
by Sodoma in 1508. The
cycle, which begins on the
east wall with Benedict's early
life, is considered a master-
piece of fresco painting for its
combination of architectural
and naturalistic detail.
Basilica di Sant'Agata
Piazza della Basilica. # daily.
E
Museo Civico Archeologico
e d'Arte Sacra
Palazzo Corboli, Corso Matteotti
118. Tel 0577 71 95 24.
Apr-Oct: 10:30am-1pm, 3-6:30pm
Wed-Sun; Nov-Mar: 10:30am-
1pm, 3-5:30pm Thu-Sun.
#
&
T
Necropoli di Poggio Pinci
Poggio Pinci.
call tourist office
for opening times.
E
#
Museo Amos Cassioli
Via Mameli. Tel 0577 71 72 33.
#
The Romanesque Basilica di
Sant'Agata in Asciano
Tue, Thu, Fri & Sat. & 7
 
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