Bettolle: Palio, Chianina, Castles and Cycle Paths

Bettolle combines the history of a town, the rural character of the Valdichiana and far-reaching routes. The town’s history also includes the Chianina breed and the architecture of the fattorie.

Palio and history in the historic center

During the Palio della Rivalsa di Bettolle, five pairs of bearers representing Bettolle’s contrade carry a wooden amphora on a stretcher through two complete rounds of the town’s historic center. The Palio reenacts an event from the 16th century: at that time, Ascanio della Cornia, Lord of Castiglion del Lago, launched a military attack on Bettolle’s fortifications.

Real Fattoria and rural architecture

The Real Fattoria di Bettolle also represents the town’s historical and architectural dimension. It is a villa in the Sinalunga hamlet of the same name in the province of Siena. The farmhouses of the Fattoria di Bettolle use the architectural form typical of the Valdichiana, consisting of a portico, staircase and loggia. The villa and farmhouses thus represent two architectural aspects of the same rural complex.

Museums and castles in the surrounding area

The Museo della Civiltà Contadina di Fratticciola is a museum in the area around Bettolle. The Museo della Tortura di Montepulciano is also located nearby. In the wider regional area around Bettolle, the Castello di Montecchio Vesponi is a castle, while the Castello di Montelifrè is a castle ruin.

Flat cycle route and mountains

The Sentiero della Bonifica is a 62-kilometer cycle path along the Canale Maestro della Chiana between Arezzo and Chiusi. It is particularly flat, protected from traffic and equipped with numerous areas specifically provided for breaks. The Sentiero della Bonifica can be divided into sections for a longer cycling tour; the designated rest stops structure the route. The wider regional area around Bettolle is also home to four mountains: Monte Castiglion Maggio, Alta San Egidio, Monte Castel Giudeo and Poggio del Sarto. These mountains create a different landscape accent from the flat route of the Sentiero della Bonifica.

Chianina and the Percorso del Gigante Bianco

The Percorso del Gigante Bianco extends for 313 kilometers through the provinces of Arezzo and Siena. The route length of 313 kilometers gives this path a different time frame from a short local route. Along this route, visitors can visit Chianina cattle breeding farms and taste its genuine meat with PGI status. When planning the Percorso del Gigante Bianco, the specific section is just as important as the total length of 313 kilometers. Today’s Chianina breed is the result of selection that began in the last century at the Puccio and Passerini fattorie’s cattle farms in Bettolle.

For further orientation in the same destination area, you can find Farnetella, Bisciano and Rigomagno.

For the higher-level travel overview: Sinalunga.